Season of Nonviolence - Midterm Review

Happy Leap Day! 

The Season of Nonviolence did not have a meditation and reflection for today - it will resume tomorrow. But, I wanted to take this little break to have a midterm review. 

How are you doing with this Season of Nonviolence?

Are you seeing areas in your life where you are violent and did not realize it?

It is very easy to just think of violence as a physical thing; but violence moves through every area of life. There is violence in our emotional life, our social life, and even our spiritual life. When we are too hard on others or ourselves, that is a form of violence. 

The worse type of violence are those that leave no visible scars, but there are very deep wounds.

I invite you to go back through the first 30 days and really hone in on the ones that you find the most challenging. The Season is only 64 days, but this needs to become a lifetime practice. 

Wishing you a peaceful Leap Day!

 

Season of Nonviolence - Day 30

Welcome to Day 30 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 30: MAKING AMENDS

The other side of forgiveness is making amends, when it is you who has been - or needs to be - forgiven for hurt or wrongdoing you may have caused.  As with forgiveness, the gift of making amends - to yourself and to whoever has been hurt or wronged - is revealed when it is given unconditionally from your heart.  What would it be like if world leaders made amends?

 "Making amends may seem like a bitter pill to swallow, but for those serious about recovery it can be great medicine for the spirit and soul."  ~ Step 9 Forgiveness; The Twelve Steps
 
Today:  As I interact with people today, I will reflect on whether there are ways I feel moved to make amends; I will let my heart gently guide me, as I recall each person's unique ways of expressing his or her joys, fears and pains.  I will be open to let my heart speak through words, actions, thoughts or prayers.  I will offer a sincere apology to someone I may have hurt. 

Season of Nonviolence - Day 29

Welcome to Day 29 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 29: FORGIVENESS

When we forgive, we do not condone hurtful behavior.  When we realize that there is something within us that is more important than this hurtful experience, we are free to let go of the past and move on with our lives.  In doing so, we open our hearts to the humanity of those we forgive.

As we forgive others, we are teaching the mind to respond with forgiveness everywhere, even to the misdeeds and mistakes of our own past.  And if I have treated a particular person badly, even if I can no longer win that person's forgiveness, I can still win the forgiveness of myself. 

 "The results of forgiveness is the stopping of the recycling of anger within ourselves and in the world. Peace will come to the world when each of us takes the responsibility of forgiving everyone, including ourselves, completely." ~ Gerald Jampolsky
 
Today:  I am willing to let go of the past, and forgive those who have hurt me, and towards whom I feel anger. I will forgive myself too.  Today, I will write a letter of forgiveness to someone (I do not have to mail it). 

Season of Nonviolence - Day 28

Welcome to Day 28 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 28: LISTENING

Can you stop what you are doing and thinking, and take time to truly listen to the feelings behind someone’s words to you?  Being fully present for the conversation and interested in what that person is saying is a practice of nonviolence. 

 A component of Marshall Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" involves listening with compassion.  The listener attends fully to the speaker's words, while sensing the feelings and needs beneath the words.  The listener is simply fully present, not trying to "figure out" what the speaker is needing, nor trying to "get it right."  If I can listen to you with compassion, it is usually only a short time before you listen with compassion to me.

Today:  I will be fully present to each conversation I engage in, and listen longer than usual - and with more patience - to what others are saying.  I will give the other person my full attention, because nothing else really matters.  I will look directly at the person who is speaking, without thinking about other things.   

Season of Nonviolence - Day 27

Welcome to Day 27 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 27: GENEROSITY

Mother Teresa said, “There is a hidden poverty more pervasive than lack of money.  It is the poverty of the heart.” Look at ways you can contribute to your family, friends and community through your generosity. You will see how your generous gift comes back to you. 

 The more generous you are today, the more generosity you will have tomorrow. The more love you give, the more loving you become. The more generous you become, the less need to defend what you have, the greater your capacity for nonviolence.

Today:  I will find three ways to give generously of my time, talent and resources to others.  I will create a ‘Gift Certificate’ for someone.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 26

Welcome to Day 26 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 26: RESPECT

Gandhi taught “Language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers.”  Respecting yourself and others means making a choice not to use profanity or ‘put downs’.  Let our language be based on respect for those we address.  The life of peace excludes no one.  Let your words reflect your respect for others - speak from the depth of your heart and soul.  The other side of respect is listening - listen to others with the respect that what they have to say matters.  The act of listening has a calming effect on others, even if they are in a heated tirade, just listening models a nonviolent response.

 "Courtesy towards opponents and eagerness to understand their view-point is the ABC of nonviolence."   ~ M.K. Gandhi
 
Today:  As I interact with and observe people during the day, I will be aware of ways in which I respect each person.  I will draw a picture of someone for whom I have a great deal of respect, then frame the picture with words that describe this person.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 25

Welcome to Day 25 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 25: FRIENDLINESS

To humorist Will Rogers, strangers were simply friends he hadn’t met.  View those you encounter today in that light.  Every time I am friendly toward another, I help break down the wall of separation and I contribute to nonviolence.   

 Today: I will make a new acquaintance, befriend a stranger.   I will go up to someone I haven’t met yet and say “Hi friend.”

Season of Nonviolence - Day 24

Welcome to Day 24 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 24: HARMONY

Choosing NOT to engage in any form of gossip today contributes to harmony.  Choosing to see the good in others rather than finding fault leads to peaceful relationships.  Look for the good in yourself and in others.  By making these choices, we are contributing to a culture of nonviolence, we are being a model of peace.

Today:  I will choose to see the good in others instead of finding fault.   I will spend the entire day without criticizing anything or anyone; if I am tempted to criticize, I will write down the criticism rather than speaking it, then later discover where the criticism is coming from within me.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 23

Welcome to Day 23 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 23: PRAYER

“Prayer from the heart can achieve what nothing else in the world can,” said Gandhi.

 

Begin and end the day with a prayer for peace.  Let peace begin with me. 

Saint Francis of Assisi said it this way:

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy."  

Today:  I will begin and end the day with a prayer for peace.  When I say goodbye to people, I will say "May Peace Prevail on Earth."  I will create a space in my home dedicated to prayer for nonviolence.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 22

Welcome to Day 22 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 22: MISSION

“My life is my message” said Gandhi.   Gandhi’s mission was to be nonviolent.  What do you want to stand for in your life?  Do you know your life’s mission? 

Today:  I will write down what I stand for in my life.  I will note at least one way I can show, through action, that I stand for my beliefs.  I will develop a personal mission statement and draw a picture of myself living my mission.   I will share my mission with at least three other people.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 21

Welcome to Day 21 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 21: INSPIRATION

There are many people who inspire us. Take a moment to reflect upon who inspires you and what characteristics you most admire in them.  See the potential that is also within you and choose to cultivate these characteristics in your daily life.
  
"Cease trying to work everything out with your minds. It will get you nowhere.  Live by intuition and inspiration and let your whole life BE Revelation."  ~ Eileen Caddy
 
Today:  As I think of at least two people who exemplify the practice of nonviolence, I'll acknowledge what it is I admire about them, what inspires me about them.  I'll practice these behaviors today so that other people may be inspired and I'll share this insight with at least three other people.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 20

Welcome to Day 20 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 20: SELF- FORGIVENESS

When I judge myself, I tend to believe that who I am is what I have done or not done, what I have or do not have.  I know that who I am is greater than all these things.   I am greater than any mistake I have ever made.  When we get even the slightest glimpse of the unity of life, we realize that sitting in judgment of other people and countries and races, I'm training my mind to sit in judgment of myself.  As I forgive others, I am teaching the mind to respond with forgiveness everywhere, even to the misdeeds and mistakes of my own past.  Practicing self-forgiveness is a foundation for practicing nonviolence.

Today:  I will write an apology letter to myself for anything I have done to myself that I wish I had not, or ways that I have disappointed myself and not fully lived up to my potential.  I'll mail the letter to myself and when it arrives, I will read it in a quiet place.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 19

Welcome to Day 19 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 19: ACCEPTANCE

“Resentment, fear, criticism and guilt cause more problems than anything else” says author Louise Hay.  By choosing not to judge myself and see myself as unique, loving, capable and bright, and by  accepting myself just as I am, I will be modeling nonviolence.  Any time I can take down the walls of defense, I open myself up to a nonviolent way of living.

"Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly.  Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end.  What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such." ~ Henry Miller
 
Today:  As I reflect on what is difficult for me to accept - in myself, in other people, and in the state of the world - I'll let go of any resistance or judgment, and allow myself to accept and acknowledge whatever I have been resisting.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 18

Welcome to Day 18 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 18: FREEDOM

Civil Rights activist Diane Nash said, “Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders.”  Take a leadership role today in your own life.  Find a way where you can express who you truly are.

“When people decide they want to be free, there is nothing that can stop them.”
~ Bishop Desmond Tutu

“To be free is to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
~ Nelson Mandela

Today:  I'll claim my definition of freedom.  I'll write a haiku poem about freedom.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 17

Welcome to Day 17 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 17: INTEGRITY

When faced with a choice, listen to your conscience, and be willing to act accordingly, no matter what others may say.   You know what is right to do; you can choose to do it.    

Integrity asks for firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values and denies any form of corruption.  Integrity is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.  And when I am in harmony, I am a model of nonviolence.

Today:  When faced with a choice today, I listen to my conscience.  I'll recall then write a short story about a time when I listened to my heart when the people around me were doing something else.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 16

Welcome to Day 16 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 16: GRATITUDE

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."  ~ Melody Beattie
 
Today:  I will list five things for which I am grateful for and share these good things with another, then reflect on who and what made those experiences possible.   I will write a “thank-you” note to someone who would least expect me to thank them.  I'll journal about my feelings with regard to this.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 15

Welcome to Day 15 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 15: REVERENCE

Reverence for all life is fundamental to Ahimsa; it is the ultimate rationale for nonviolence - for how can one willingly do harm to that for which one has reverence - and towards which one has the love that reverence engenders?

"In the main, reverence for life dictates the same sort of behavior as the ethical principle of love. But reverence for life contains within itself the rationale of the commandment to love, and it calls for compassion for all creature life."   ~ Albert Schweitzer
  
"Reverence is a virtue that prepares us well to belong to one another; it reaches out to those who have given messages of not wishing to belong.  When we approach others with gentle reverence, we bring gifts and share theirs with us."  ~ Paula Ripple
 
Today:  I open myself up to a feeling of reverence for all forms of life, especially each and every person that I meet during the day.   I'll take a walk outside and experience the beauty that surrounds me as I BE with the sky, the plants and animals, as well as my brothers and sisters.

Season of Nonviolemce - Day 14

Welcome to Day 14 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 14: HUMILITY

Making mistakes is a part of learning and growing, simply an error in approach.  Paradoxically, the only way we can begin to escape from the consequences of our actions is to stop running from them and to face them with fortitude and humility.  In this sense, every difficult situation is a precious opportunity for learning.

When we humbly acknowledge our mistakes and reflect on what we have learned, it frees us from the need to be defensive.   Being free from defending our position creates an opportunity for nonviolence.
 
"The seeker after truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of the truth."  ~ Gandhi
 
Today:  As I gaze up at the stars tonight, I am aware of how small I am, how my life is but a fleeting moment in the vast scale of time and distances of the solar system and the universe.  And in that moment of humility, I acknowledge that I DO make a difference.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 13

Welcome to Day 13 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 13: CREATIVITY

The human soul’s natural desire is to create.  The best thing you can do to a human soul is to express the natural desire to create.  Your life is your creative expression.  Creativity allows something unpredictable and joyous to express through you. 

"Why should we use all our creative power? . . . Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate, so indifferent to fighting and the accumulation of objects and money."  ~ Brenda Ueland

Today:  I reflect on what I am creating in my life today by identifying at least five ways in which I can express my creativity joyously.   I will create something that expresses my feelings about nonviolence.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 12

Welcome to Day 12 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 12: GROUNDEDNESS

Gandhi said “To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”  Black Elk reminds us “Some little root of the sacred tree still lives.  Nourish it, that it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds.”  

This is how we are going to feel grounded, like a tree planted in the earth.  Stand up straight and close your eyes.  Imagine your body is a tree.  Send down roots into the soil, feel the sun shining from above.  Feel your branches and leaves blowing in the wind.  When we feel grounded, we feel secure in our environment; and when we feel secure, we are more likely to respond to a situation in a nonviolent way.  Being grounded helps us contribute to peace, to a culture of nonviolence.

Today:  I will nurture a plant or plant a seed in, and for, the earth.  When I am in a confrontational situation, I will recall that sense of being grounded and respond in a nonviolent way.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 11

Welcome to Day 11 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 11: CONTEMPLATION

For at least three minutes, relax, breathe, and let your mind be fed by whatsoever is good and beautiful. Many sacred texts tell us some variation of 'your thoughts shape your reality'. 

"The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival."  ~ Aristotle

Today:  I take a moment to relax, breathe and let my mind be fed by what is good and beautiful.  As I think, so I am!  I will write down my thoughts and share them with others.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 10

Welcome to Day 10 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 10: FAITH

When Cesar Chavez was organizing farm works in California, he challenged them to say, “Si, se puede” - yes, it is possible - when they didn’t know how they would overcome obstacles.  Today, say “Yes, it is possible” even if you don’t know how your goal will be realized.  Have faith - you will find a way.

Today:  I will say, “Yes, it is possible,” to every obstacle I meet.  I will write down three things I am having a challenge with and with each one write “It is possible for me to overcome this obstacle and be successful.”

Season of Nonviolence - Day 9

Welcome to Day 9 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 9: DREAMING

Martin Luther King, Jr., had a great dream.  Follow your dream; follow your heart; follow your inner light.   

There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask, 'Why?' I dream of things that never were, and ask 'Why not?'  ~ Robert F Kennedy

Today:  I take ownership of my own dream for peace and nonviolence.  I will write down and act on at least one thing to honor my dream today.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 8

Welcome to Day 8 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 8: HEALING

Poet and activist, Maya Angelou turned a traumatic childhood experience into a catalyst for creativity and achievement.    She used this experience as a reason to bring peace to the world.

We all have had such experiences, sometimes holding on to the experience for a very long time.  A mantra is a wonderful way to resolve conflict we hold in our mind and one of the best times to repeat the mantra is while falling asleep at night.  Tuck yourself in, close your eyes, and start repeating your mantra.  Between the last waking moment and the first sleeping moment, there is an opening into deepest consciousness.  You can send your mantra in through that opening, repeating itself in your sleep, healing old wounds and restoring your peace of mind.

Today:  I will reflect on an incident in my life to find the "gift" it has brought me.  I will write down two ways I can use this memory to become a more creative and peaceful person.  Consciously, I share this gift with others.

Season of Nonviolence - Day 7

Welcome to Day 7 of the Season of Nonviolence – 64 Days of peaceful wisdom honoring the lives and nonviolent principles of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.

Nonviolence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being.

Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, "You must do the things that you think you cannot do." Practicing these 64 Ways will challenge you to do things that you think you cannot do.

Day 7: Education

Knowledge strengthens your conviction and deepens your understanding and acceptance.   

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough.  Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”  The complete education teaches how to live by the principles which benefit us and the people around us. 

Learn about the power of nonviolence by educating yourself.  Read an article, periodical or book; watch a video on a subject that relates to nonviolence.  Learn about human rights, diversity, ecology, history, politics, forgiveness, spirituality, peace studies, biographies of heroes and more. 

Today:  I consciously expand my knowledge about nonviolence.  I will share what I have learned with at least three other people, and invite them to learn, too.