Tag: family therapy

There are countless ways to take shortcuts to accomplish things, leading to shame. Actually, there is an honorable way to accomplish things without following those shortcuts. By applying these two magical words in life, accomplishing becomes noble.

The first word is “attention.”

When the mind starts paying attention to something, the rest of the soul will direct the creative energy. The passion then will grow stronger miraculously. This is the moment when paying attention to the right things will empower and incredibly savor the experiences. In this time, one must be mindful to pay attention to the right heart’s desire.

The second word is “intention.”

The intention is born when the heart desires to act and start developing a SMART plan (i.e., Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timable).

This is the reason at the time the intention starts, wishful thinking no longer exists. Instead of being passive, vague, and diffused, intention makes creative movements. Intention holds commitment dearly to do the heart’s desire, and magically will always find amazing ways to make a dream come true. Through the process, life becomes alive affectionately, devotedly, and happy. It is a Notable life.

DR. Kusnadi

This is the key to understanding the healing path:

The heart’s aching measures how much the soul has strayed away from its calling. In other words, there is an existential yearning within. That yearning is necessary because it helps to measure the distance one has traveled (i.e., physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually). Then that will be the moment to understand profoundly the meaning of that yearning.

The questions are, what to do when things seem to fall apart or break down? How to see the healing path when the soul cannot see the possibilities?

Those questions lead to a new understanding of starting the standstill condition.

It is time to imagine being surprised by something better than things that seem impossible. Remember to honor your wishes. Let the imagination invites the Devine Spirit to bring back the existential dreams with all their necessary support. Let things flow and let the Universe works on it too. Feel the desire and fascination with images that excite and motivate. The most significant is to allow the awakening moment to transform daily and be thankful. Amen.

DR. Kusnadi

Sit quietly. Open the self to contact with beloved High Power. Let problems come to mind. At the moment, open the mind to images of what might be. Let the heart dream of other fascinating possibilities and offer them to the Universe. If the problems may seem large or overwhelming from today’s perspective, then “be” now. Remember that building a “Cathedral” always takes many years. Pause and breathe gently to notice the choices between the instinct to react and the discretion to respond. Continue to alert, to enfold the remarkable things that happen that guide the self-esteem to arise. Being open to the sacred voices within is healing, transforming, and humbling. Amen

30 Qualities for Success

Honesty, Humor, Friendliness, Confidence,
Integrity, Persistence, Humility, Goal Setter,
Decisive, Hard Worker, Learner,
Positive Mental Attitude, Compassionate,
Disciplined, Dedicated, Faithful,
Dependable, Knowledgeable, Communicator,
Loving, Enthusiastic, Motivated, Patient,
Loyal, Organized, Good Listener,
Empathetic, Self-Respect,
Common Sense and Character.
Go ahead now.
Look yourself in the mirror
and claim these qualities!
Please do it for several weeks, and you’ll notice a change in your life.

ZIG ZIGLAR Newsletter
14 June 2000, Volume II, Number 2

1 Samuel 16: 1, 6-7. 10-13 / Psalms 23: 1-6 / Ephesians 5: 8-14 / John 9: 1-41

What was happening when you woke up in the morning? Do you want to stay longer in your bed? Put off getting up! Turn over and over for another nap? Hit the snooze button? Half-awake—it is like sleepwalking—dreamily walking! Absent-mindedly–It is a condition between was and is? There were also moments when you suddenly jumped out of your bed, startled! Sudden readiness—shock! And you say “Oh my God!” Correct? And there were many times we felt refresh! Fully wake up!

Wake up means to have our eyes opened so that we see. It is to have our ears opened so that we hear. It is to have our reason alert so that we understand. It is to have our body system ready for the day ahead.

In the biblical way of speaking of spiritual awareness, to be awake is the opposite of being asleep, deaf, blind, and without understanding.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ acts of prophecy (Such as Spat, Clay with saliva, Smearing the clay, and his command, “Go wash in the Pool of Siloam”) glimpsed a figure standing in the shadow of darkness. He had shown the audiences the deeper dimension of reality, that the Grace of God is larger—stronger than the power of evil or darkness. His miracles stunned people, so many said, “We’ve never seen anything like this before! He is a prophet! He is a Son of Man!” Such a shock caused his audience to wonder in amazement.

It was different from the people who were possessed by hatred and anger. They sensed and reacted differently: “How can a sinful man do such signs?” They cursed the good things that came from God.

Jesus’ healings were themselves paradigmatic. When he healed a blind man—even the one who was born blind, he demonstrated how “unseeing” persons could be made to see by his touch—by his personal encounter. When he healed the paralyzed, and the crippled, he showed that unfeeling persons could be made to feel and engage the unexplored dimensions of their psyche. And when he opened deaf ears, he revealed how deaf persons could be made to hear.

There is only one thing Christ could not do; it was to ask or make the Pharisees accept him. It had to come from their heart. It had to come from their personal will. It could not be forced. It had to be a personal decision!

Now, how do those things work on us concretely?

I will answer that question with other questions. There is a wise thing to do, right? Have you ever tried to recognize the area of yours that you feel: Blind, deaf, or paralyzed? Where are you fit it? Are you more in the blindness state, where you cannot see the truth of reality or the direction of your life?

Are you more in a deafness state where you cannot hear the message of God—the voice of God within, that probably does not make you feel comfortable?

Or, you are in a paralyzed state, where you feel stuck! When you are feeling unable to make any concrete movement! It seems something has been tied up strongly!

Right now, I want to make you sure understand the concept of awakening; spiritual, psychological, and even physical—that I have learned through the contemplation of today’s readings, especially on the Gospel:

It is like when you all wake up in the morning. Some open their eyes with a start because of noise or a touch, a spat, an unpredictable smeared saliva clay on your face… others with a jolt because of a shocking experience. Some slowly and gradually come to the consciousness of a new day.

I want to conclude this reflection with these words:

We can describe a process of spiritual awakening, but we cannot dissolve the mystery. Remember that. Seeing with the eyes of the heart and feeling the transformation that follows creates a new perspective on life, but none can fully explain how or why it happens! It is just like had happened with the man who was born blind.

[It is good if you can all read once again at home the long version of the Gospel reading today to get a complete message!]

Somehow, I believe, even awakening from sleep is mysterious!

DR. Kusnadi

Because of the instinct to survive in this physical world, one naturally develops certain logic, rationalities of thinking, or somehow to a greater degree of imagination, visualizing, or fantasizing. Somehow, surprisingly, the mind was instructed to prioritize the outer world more.

The preoccupation with the outer world has overshadowed the inner world. The inner world’s skills are supposed to be trained in certain ways (i.e., which liberate the self, embrace interdependency, and be creative without too much worry) through time being oppressed by the demand of the outer world.

The challenge now is how to beat the drums for the inner world. Awaken the old pattern of belief systems to alert and be mindful that there are possibilities for a better life. There is an urgent need to create a balance between the outer world and the inner world. It is time to embrace equality between those worlds.

The inner world needs to learn to be proud or confident to give itself priority to be noticed. It is okay to learn to see the possibilities from the impossibilities. It is alright to feel vulnerable and yet be able to recognize and be brave enough to dream big dreams. There are potentialities to sprout wings to travel a million miles away. Even if there is no clue how to get from here to there, a strong drive revises creativity.  One of the biggest steps is letting the light penetrate the darkness inside.

Through commitment, consistency, and persistence, the impossible will become possible. Amen.

DR. Kusnadi

There is the truth in this ancient teaching: “To connect constantly to the Light of the Creator, we must develop and become like the desert.”

The desert is an un-owned, open space where anybody can do anything. This is the level to which we are supposed to develop. Being like the desert means embracing originality, which means you care about what people think about you, but you are not becoming fearful; you notice what people say to you, but you are mindful be able to do self-reflection without necessarily worrying too much that you are wrong. It all means being free in the deepest sense to grow and continue to be authentic.

Our nature is usually the opposite of the desert. We are extremely and constantly concerned about what people do, say, or even think about us. We are captive to almost everybody, for their actions, words, and thoughts can influence our feelings and life.

To develop spiritually, we need to constantly become like the desert, feeling open and free like the desert. It is not an easy process, but it greatly enables our spiritual development and brings us equanimity and peace that cannot be reached any other way. It is a process that takes constant focus and effort, but the result is immense.