★The Good Is Good To Hang On To

I saw this quote today:
The great challenge of adulthood is holding on to your idealism after you lose your innocence.”
– Bruce Springsteen

I realized after reading the above quote, that hanging on to ideals (inner values) have been my quest through every type of loss. I am so thankful to have “succeeded”, to feel good and continue to look for ways to keep the good flowing through “it all”.

Succeeded in my book, is simply being ok with who I am, being well, and ok enough to think I can do what I need to, and hopefully all I want to do.

In re: to the idealism quote, there are many definitions of idealism. The one I’m referring to of the many listed was the noun from the Thesaurus Free online Dictionary:elevated ideals or conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued ->high-mindedness, noble-mindedness, – the quality of elevation of mind and exaltation of character or ideals or conduct

In my mind it’s ok to make a high ideal a target-goal, as long as the journey and the accomplishments along the way are just as wonderful.

This target goal-idea reminds me of a time when I was just a little girl, and I mean little. I’m still quite petite; though young and little I used to like to shoot hoops (basketball)at the elementary school across the street.

I was raised with brothers who didn’t like to look after their little sister; so they gave me our basketball and said go play. So, I thought ok. I kept practicing, not thinking or believing that I couldn’t get any in. I didn’t know where to stand or how to hold the ball. The ball looked about as big as I was lol.

No one was there, so I kept shooting, and believing in my ability. I didn’t know I was standing what they called center-court. I was jumping higher and higher and focusing w/everything I had. I must’ve looked ridiculous, jumping so high, and sometimes looking like I was doing jumping jacks w/my legs. Though, once I got the hang of it, (over time) I couldn’t miss. Just thought, that’s what you do with this shooting hoops-thing.

Then one day, the playground at the hour I was there, wasn’t so deserted, and the big kids starting coming around to use the court, and laughing at me, and saying you can’t get any in, let alone from standing so far back.

Little by little, they were right. They got to see me get maybe one in or hit the rim alot, though the more I listened, the more I looked as they projected on to me-> as though I couldn’t do this at all.

Lofty goals are good. Just know you are more than your target goals, and don’t let anyone tell you what is too lofty for you

Let’s share how we hang on to the good (inside of us, or that’s possible outside of us)? Let’s discuss what we do, and what we tell ourselves? These questions are especially important when, so often we are bombarded with the media, life circumstances, and the negativity of others regularly trying to raise their volume.

Here’s a couple for me:
- it’s surrounding myself with the best of the best beliefs, reminding me of what is good versus the things that I don’t feel right with.
- listening to music that makes me feel like I’m at a fun party, and to feel things as though life is happening as though I had planned it all myself, only better

Since my initial post was so winded, I’m repeating the questions I posed to all of you:

Let’s share how we hang on to the good (inside of us, or that’s possible outside of us)? Let’s discuss what we do, and what we tell ourselves? These questions are especially important when, so often we are bombarded with the media, life circumstances, and the negativity of others regularly tring to raise their volume.

I think people reach a certain place in their lives when they fully realize they are responsible for what they say and do. There are simply no excuses for who they are or where they are. They have created their reality and gone conscious. By that I mean they are aware of what they are saying and doing and choosing the direction they want their lives to take. They are deliberate and intentional in their thoughts and deeds and they accept themselves or work at improving in areas they want to improve.

Once they accept the responsibility of being in control, they can simply re-frame the negativity that others might want them to accept or they can simply reject the negativity around them and focus on the positivity in any situation or circumstance.

I think it is a matter of knowing and accepting who you are and trusting your higher self. Use your head and listen to your heart and you will always have the good inside you and you will always be projecting the good outside or yourself as well. It is not a question of holding on to the good, but being good, especially if things or others or circumstances are bad.

In response to Poppy’s post:
That was wonderful, Poppy.

I’m happy to say I am “more comfortable” with the world and it’s negativity because of how I deal w/life and myself in relation to life.
The reason, I like this site so much, is, it is so important for me to surround myself with people who are doing the same, and people who have warmth in their spirit.

Those I enjoy associating with (more) know how to get to the place you are speaking of, personal reponsibility; “when they fully realize they are responsible for what they say and do”.Though, consider ourselves fortunate, because not everyone gets to the place of realizing ideas like: “if it is to be, it’s up to me” and “owning” their own stuff, etc. There are many who don’t seem to come to that place;individuals who are still blaming and/or not seeing the personal power they have over their own lives and without much thought, they need to put someone else down to raise themselves up.
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Though beyond all of that, I absolutely love all that you said! Because as you said so eloquently, in moving forward, there are simply no excuses for who we are or where we are, and we’ve created our own reality. Well said! I also love how you said we become “deliberate and intentional” where we want to do better. And I wholeheartedly agree that the reframing of negativity is key!
Your last statement I loved the most: “It is not a question of holding on to the good, but being good, especially if things or others or circumstances are bad”.

Really great post! Well said(:

My mind is stirring, but I’m not sure if I can write anything coherent. Here are some thoughts that come to my mind.

One thing that your post brought to mind were ideas about honesty. I have very little faith in our government anymore. I do not trust our government. I think there are very few honest judges in the country. The world seems to have gone insane. There are times when I feel like we all might as well be criminals and look our for number one at all costs. I get frustrated and angry, but I always wind up shaking my head and thinking, “no, no, that way of life isn’t for me”. It just wears you down sometimes when you see the calabre of people that seem to get ahead in this world. I’m not a sell out, and I don’t think I ever will be, but how come so many people are? Why do we keep voting scum bags into office. I’m getting off track. The thing is, I don’t know exactly how I hang onto the good within me. I just do. Our culture has become diseased, mentally ill on a mass scale, if you will. It seems sometimes like the good people are hanging on by a thread. Our culture is based on consumption, we instill in our children that our worth comes from outside us. The media is constantly bombarding our children with messages of “get more stuff”, that’s where it’s at, baby! I guess the luckiest children in the world have to be the ones who don’t have a television in their house. Watch tv for a while and it’s not too hard to see why we have such a mentally ill society. Having said all that, I still have a little spark of hope inside me that just refuses to go out, thankfully. Even in the depths of my depression, when I was very seriously thinking of suicide, that little spark just would not go out. I think many people are like that. Many people are struggling to “get more stuff”, and I think that somewhere inside them, even though they don’t pay attention to it, they know that “getting more stuff” isn’t the answer. I suspect there are an awfully lot of very rich people who are incredibly sad and lonely. They don’t know who thier real friends are. I suspect this is very true for celebrities. My mind is also drawn to the ideas of the ego and the true self. I’ve been reading Eckhard Tolle and I think there are a lot of profound truths that he talks about in a very accessable way, I hope some of you will read him. I think so much of the worlds troubles come from the ego. I’ve read the Tao before, and more or less understood the ideas, but had a hard time really incorporating them into my life. I think Tolle will be very helpful in this area. I don’t know where I’m going, I’m just sort of writing, but I hope some of you don’t mind my “stream of consciousness” post.

In response to themadcookieman’s post:

The spark you are talking about is in us all. The other part is in us too. We have to deliberately and intentionally choose our focus. I for one have chosen the spark you are talking about, and I have deliberately rejected the negativity around me, and launched a personal goal of teaching others to choose to listen to the spark—-to choose positivity over negativity, to do right and good by all. I can’t change the world all at once or by myself, but I can help others, one at a time, see the benefits of changing their lives if they are unsatisfied with it. My advise is for the world to listen to their spark more often and then act in a sparklike way.

I’m reminded of these quotes which I liked and were posted by John in the ‘quotations thread’“http://bmindful.com/forum/thread/52/the-official-quotations-thread#post318:

if at first…:http://bmindful.com/forum/thread/52/the-official-quotations-thread#post318:

Sorry, God isn’t finished with me yet. The main quotation I felt appropriate was: “People don’t fail because they aim high and miss: they fail because they aim low and hit.” Les Brown