Pete Wiley, Author at Blocks of Life

August 6, 2016February 21, 2016 by Pete Wiley

Pain

Pain hurts.

No one wants pain in their lives, but we all have it. If we didn’t have pain, we probably wouldn’t have much joy. Creating happiness in our lives involves taking risks—including the risk of pain. Ultimately, if we can find a balance between pain and joy, we have had a life worth living.

There are different kinds of pain, and it can come from different sources. There is physical pain, the pain of unfulfilled desire, the pain of loss, the pain of regret. Some might say that these are different kinds of pain—in how they feel and in how they manifest—but to me, they are very similar. Intense emotional pain hurts just as deeply as any physical pain we might endure.

July 23, 2016February 13, 2016 by Pete Wiley

Clarity

Static. Distraction. White noise.

In the modern world, endless activities and interruptions can divert our minds from what is in front of us and interfere with our clarity.

We check e-mail, text, take phone calls, go to meetings; with so many distractions, uninterrupted time—doing anything—seems like a luxury.

July 9, 2016January 2, 2016 by Pete Wiley

Civility

It can be quite frustrating when we can’t seem to get our point across—we all face this from time to time.

“Why can’t you understand what I’m saying?!”
“Why do you keep arguing with me?”
“You’re not hearing me!”

It can be very easy to take it personally—to question the other person’s motives. It can be a short journey to anger, frustration, and bitterness.

The other person may fully understand your point—but disagree with it—and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

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Portrait of young woman with finger on lips.

June 25, 2016December 26, 2015 by Pete Wiley

Silence

How would you describe the soundtrack of your life?

What is the nature of the sounds—both those inside your head and those reaching your ears—that you hear moment-by-moment and day-to-day?

Do you ever experience silence? Are you comfortable with it?

My soundtrack is very musical. Music helps motivate me and influences my mood. I listen to music in the car, when I exercise, and at other times where I might have chosen silence. But silence is never really silent, is it?

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Double exposure of girl and autumn landscape

June 11, 2016June 4, 2016 by Pete Wiley

Signals

The Universe is talking to us all the time; it’s up to us to listen.

We all have signals in our life that let us know something is not quite right—signals that we should acknowledge and on which we should act.

These signals include how we feel, physically and emotionally. They also include how people react to us or the state of our relationships, how we spend our time, our energy level, and our ability to focus. Each of these can say a lot about the state of our lives.

Do we pay attention to these signals? Do we even know what they are?

in Mindful / Proactive 0 comments