Unfinished Projects

For how long have you procrastinated on that project? For how long will you still procrastinate?

Photo by Craig Cameron on Unsplash

It is part of human nature to dream and idealize the most varied achievements.

A very common habit is the list we make at the beginning of each year, the famous New Year's proposals. We usually list habits to be abandoned, courses to be started and virtues to be acquired. Reasonable proposals and, in most cases, necessary for our development.

However, even before the first week of the year is over, the list is abandoned in the drawer, along with the sincere willingness to change that inspired it. Once again, all the the changes we promised to ourselves go into oblivion.

Whom do we hope to deceive?

But whom do we hope to deceive?

These abandoned projects can be anything: unconfessed loves, unfulfilled promises, abandoned dreams, songs never performed, flowers that have not bloomed, children who were not born, boats that never reached the sea, texts without period, work that never left the drawing board.

The days go by fast so remember that while we spend our days postponing projects, delaying starts and canceling changes, what could happen voluntarily ends up becoming mandatory.

One day, life will charge us for things we were supposed to achieve that we never carried out. What achievements will these be? Great achievements? Resounding achievements? Probably not.

Which project to complete?

Everyone has an unfinished project, so which one should we complete first?

In theory, each of us knows what is the urgent and most feasible at this time. However, it's important to remember that the most significant changes we can make is taming our own imperfections.

We argue that it's so hard to beat old habits, however, it's even more difficult to live with unhappy habits that bitter our lives and that of those around us. It is time to abandon the excuses that have served us on crutches for so long.

Final Thoughts

May today be a significant mark in the timeline of our lives.

It doesn't matter what day of the week it is or what month of the year we are in. There is no reason to wait for another opportunity.

Chances are like breezes that come and go quickly. Let us not remain stationary while life calls us to do good. Courage and willingness will be the inspiration we lacked.

Not tomorrow, but today. Not later, but from now on.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on June 10, 2016.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Test of Time

Do you consider yourself happy? Would your happiness stand the test of time?

Photo by Kal Visuals on Unsplash

In the 6th century BC lived Croesus, king of Lydia, the richest man in the world. He ruled with wisdom and arrogance.

In the splendor of his glory, he once hosted Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece in his palace and in order to honor the sage and demonstrate all his power and wealth, the king had a splendid feast prepared. He then invited Solon to visit his treasures: pearls, emeralds, diamonds of all carats, rubies and all sorts of golden statues.

Strangely, Croesus observed that his guest was walking through that immense wealth, with total indifference. And, in the face of the statement which he claimed to be the happiest man in the world for being the richest, the wise sentenced:

My king, no one can ever be considered happy before passing the test of time.

Time is the only component we need to determine if  we are happy or not. After all, it always surprises us with the unexpected.

Life is a succession of events, which completely change our destinies.

Do not forget that happiness is above all that you have.

Croesus did not give any importance to the advice kept increasing his wealth and power.

After some time, however, Cyrus, king of the Persians, marched with his army against Lydia and the king watched, appalled, as the enemy troops entered the palace, killing his best soldiers.

Trapped with his family, he was driven to irons in the capital, now in rubble. Humiliated, he was taken to the central square, tied to a post, on pieces of wood.

When he was about to be burned alive, he recalled as in a flash, the sentence of Solon: No one in the world is happy unless they pass the test of time.

Yes, time had brought him much sadness. His first son - and heir to his throne - had died in a hunting accident, at eighteen. Time had also brought the younger son's deafness and muteness. And now, there he was defeated and humiliated with his wife, his son and the whole court.

What was left of his wealth, which had been savagely plundered by the conquerors? What had been done of his palace, burned by the destroying fate of the winners?

At that moment, he understood that happiness is not having. Happiness is something else.

Happiness is not having

The things of the world are ephemeral.

Assets, from one moment to the next, can be taken away by robbers or carried away by the fury of nature.

If we are now smiling, soon we can be immersed in the sea of ​​tears because an accident robbed us a loved one. Or because Nature rebelled and destroyed our heritage. Or because a terrible disease embraced us and robbed us of the energies of youth, the smile of joy. 

Final Thoughts

Happy is not who has it. Happy is the one who loves because love sings a spring inside the heart.

Naturally, we need money and assets because without a little of everything, we become unbalanced. However, it takes the wisdom to be able to differentiate when you possess thing from whey you are possessed by them. We own money, never the money should own us.

This is a wise posture that gives us tranquility, harmony in living, over time.

Let us think about it and invest in achieving peace and being happy.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on May 08, 2018.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

New Year

For most people, the new year is the best moment for big changes. But year after year they fail in finding happiness. Would you know why?

Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

Today is the day that starts a New Year. It's a moment of joy and fellowship. We all want to start another year with renewed hopes.

The pleas, in general, are to have a lot of money in your pocket, health to give and sell. But if we have all this, will we be guaranteed a New Year full of happiness?

If God gives us health, what usually happens is that we try to end it in the name of parties. Be it with excesses in food, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or other drugs no less harmful to health. We do not realize that our health depends on us. If we want a good year, we will have to do our part.

If we stop to analyze what the New Year means, we will notice that nothing changes externally. Everything remains as it was the day before. The sick remain ill, those in prison remain incarcerated, the unhappy remain unhappy, criminals continue to plot their crimes, and so on. It's us, and only us, who can build a better year, since a Happy New Year is built, not wanted.

How to have a happy new year

And how can we have a happy new year? If aim a good year we have to start today. As any investment we will harvest the results (or failures) of the previous years.

We will be able to build a good year if we work diligently in our moral reform, rethinking our values, correcting our mistakes, adjusting the direction of our private road. For example, if we start by changing our misbehaviors, we will certainly have a happier year.

Start thinking a little more about the people who live around you. If you open your eyes you'll see how much pain exists around you. If we work to build a better world, one day we will finally conquer the happiness we aim for.

The path to happiness

There is only one way to reach happiness. And that path was shown by Who really has authority, for having walked it. We know this someone as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

In the teaching Love God over all things and others as yourself is the key to true happiness. Jesus places us as a point of reference. That is why he recommends that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Whoever loves is preserving health. Whoever loves himself does not bombard his body with harmful elements, nor the Spirit with anger, envy, jealousy.

Whoever loves God above all things, respects His creation, His laws and their peers because they know that we were all created by Him and that He loves us all.

Do you want a New Year full of happiness? Start by building it yourself.

Conclusion

The new period of time that begins, like so many others that have passed, will be full of opportunities. Whether to use them well or badly depends on each one of us. The river of opportunities passes through its waters without returning in the same circumstances.

Today will soon pass and we will call it yesterday, as tomorrow will soon be today, which will also become yesterday. And, without us realizing it, we will soon be calling this new year the old year.

May we all be able to enjoy the treasure of the minutes in the construction of the happy tomorrow that we desire, because eternity is made up of seconds.

Happy new year! 🙏♥🎉

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on January 1st, 2019.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem