44. Serenity

At all times strive for the quality of Serenity. This is known also as inner peace, wa, shibumi, tranquility, rest, stillness, satori, nirvana etc etc. It is more valuable than gold for it is a firm foundation for your mind. If you really hear and embody The Perfect Prayer you will achieve it :

Om
That is Perfect
This is Perfect
Perfect comes from Perfect
Take Perfect from Perfect
And the remainder is Perfect
May Peace and Peace and Peace be everywhere
Om

http://practicalphilosophy.ie/
http://www.schooleconomicscience.org/

43. Anxiety

If you think healthy thoughts, you will be free from anxiety. Anxiety is a way of thinking. We can choose it or not.

42.Wise Man

The wise man does not have problems; he merely has situations that require his attention. This is a state of detachment that we should all try to achieve.

41. Always be Authentic

It is always better to admit to being wrong and to be willing to learn from the mistake than to pretend to be right while knowing all the time that you are a phony.

40. External Approval

Seeking approval is not in itself an unhealthy thing. Needing it is unhealthy. It is an unhealthy state to be immobilised if outside approval is withheld. This is an important distinction. You do not need the approval of others in order to feel good about yourself. You will encounter huge amounts of both approval and disapproval throughout your life. You cannot please everyone all the time. You cannot please any one person all the time either. When you encounter disapproval in others, provided you know that you are right and acting in the best possible way, do not let their disapproval stop you from doing or saying what you know to be true. Do not even give ear to their disapproval or anger. You should be aware that people will often direct their disapproval at you in order to try to control you for their own ends and your ultimate disadvantage. (Trade Unions and other organisations are very fond of doing this). Ultimately, the only approval that matters is your own self-approval. This self-approval is definitely NOT the same thing as conceit. Self-approval is honest. Conceit is a form of self-deception, saying "I approve because it is me even though I KNOW IT IS WRONG !" This is a form of Psychopathy. You must learn to respect the opinions of others and at the same time not be consumed with winning everyone's approval. This can be a very delicate balance. Approval is nice but it is like a tax break. It should be treated as a bonus and not the main reason for doing whatever you are being praised for. You should do things because they make sense or are a good deal financially, not primarily for approval or tax breaks. Remember you are the captain of your own ship. A wise captain seeks information and advice but plots his own course. He does not follow like a sheep.

39. The Value of Taking Responsibility

As long as you think the problem is someone or something outside of yourself, you are faced with having to change them. This is a huge task and probably you will never achieve it. Once you accept that it is your attitude to that person place or thing that is the problem, then you have a much easier task. All you have to do is change your own perception.

38. Growth

In order to learn and grow, it is important to become self-questioning. You should ask yourself questions such as "Why do I miss this type of shot ?" or "How can I get along better with ... ?" or "What can I do to improve...?"

37. Being Honest with One's Self

Practice the habit of being totally honest with yourself. The worst form of deception is self-deception. That's a big no-no. Total honesty with yourself is the basis for sanity and the starting point of all self-development. Blame is one thing that will make it impossible to control your inner world. Blame is only excuse-making, a refusal to take responsibility for yourself. Whatever you feel at any given time is a direct result of what you have been thinking. You drive your own state. Your feelings are created by yourself and no-one else. You choose to feel happy or sad, loving or angry loved or afraid. depending on your self-talk. No-one has the power to make you feel happy or unhappy or any way other than how you choose to feel. You do that to yourself by thinking about their behaviour. Even if you blame others, the reality remains the same.

36. Your Inner World and Personal Power

Take responsibility for the development of your mind and heart. No-one else is capable of controlling what goes on in your heart and mind unless you surrender that control. Your inner world belongs to you and only to you. Everything you think feel and do is under your control. If you should ever find that you have surrendered it, take back your power immediately. Learn, therefore to seek only your own approval as measured by your own internal code of ethics, what Warren Buffett calls your inner score-card.
http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2010/08/05/mean-street-obama-buffett-and-the-giving-pledge-follies/

http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=102454

35. Prejudice

Prejudice means "To judge before". We can only be prejudiced against that of which we are ignorant. Being prejudiced is like the doctor who prescribes a medicine before he makes his diagnosis or even his examination. When you recognise that you are being prejudiced, go and learn about what it is you are pre-judging

34. On Achievement

Once you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything you set out to do. Just for practice, once a week, try something really difficult.

33. Determination

Once you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything you set out to do. Eliminate once and for all the words "can't" and "impossible" from your speech and thought. Substitute "I can and I will" as a mantra. Sound it in mind whenever you become disheartened.

32. Beauty

The world is a beautiful place. Make time every day to appreciate this.

31. On Fighting Battles

A favourite expression of your Grandfather's, Dominic Timothy Mulvey, was "Never fight a battle you can't win." This implies finding out first whether you can win or not. Unfortunately that is not always possible and some battles have to be fought regardless.It is wise however to avoid battles that can't be won or those that give you a Pyrrhic victory. Fighting for justice or for your own corner is terrific but useless fighting - where you end up as the victim - is a waste of time and usually injurs you and sets you back. How do you know when you have lost a fight ? You have lost when you have been injured more than the other guy or when you have lost something precious to the other guy either as a prize or as something destroyed forever by the enemy.

30. Self-Reliance

If you are to get to where you want to be in life, you cannot rely on anyone but yourself in order to make it happen since you are the only person that you will be absolutely certain will be with you at all times whenever problems in life crop up. You need to be certain that you can call on yourself at all times.

29. Self-Belief

Have faith in yourself. Trust that if you look within, you will find the answers to what to be in life and how to be it. Have faith in your ability to handle whatever situation you find.

28. Trophies

Trophies are treacherous things. Do not be fooled by them. When you set out to hit a target, aim only for that because if you are thinking about the trophy, you will see two targets, shoot and miss both.

27. The Importance of Achievements

It is very important to achieve the goals you have set for yourself but you should remain detached from them and not become obsessed. Maintain a healthy distance from them through meditation. Never compromise your principles or sully your values in order to achieve your aims. You will hate yourself a little more every time you do.

26. Failure

It is impossible to fail as a person. You can, however fail at a given task. This is an important distinction because your self-worth as a person is self-evident and has nothing to do with any task external to yourself. Never equate your self-worth with any external achievement. This is an error into which people often fall. Your inherent value and dignity are not measurable by externals.If you are to learn and grow and ever achieve anything worthwhile, plenty of failure (at tasks) is inevitable. More often than not, you will learn far more from the tests that you fail than from those that you pass.The correct attitude to failure is expressed in the old song as "Pick yourself up, Dust yourself down and Start all over again."

25. Life-long Learning

Continue all your life to learn and grow. If you do not, you will dry up emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Growth means change and testing yourself out in new arenas with a strong sense of excitement.

24. The Unknown

Do not fear the unknown. All true inventors love to wander about in the unknown!

23. Change

Change is as basic a component of our lives in the material world as night and day. Everything around us is in a constant state of change. This is a Universal Law and like all such laws, it does not matter whether or not you like it, agree with it, believe in it or even know about it, it will continue to operate with or without your approval. If you grow up accepting change as a way of life, as part of being a highly functioning person you will be on the road to a fulfilling life. It is unhappy people who are most intimidated by change.

22.Negativity

Never say things that are predictions of a negative outcome for they have a nasty habit of becoming self-fulfilling prophesies and actually come to pass.

21. Responsibility

Take full responsibility for your own life and the objectives you set for yourself. The definition of responsibility is the ability to respond. When an event occurs that you would rather had happened differently, a blaming individual will try to say it was soeone else's fault or it was the climate or the economy that is to blame. You, as a responsible person will say I take ownership of this situation. You will not say "I was minding my own business when... happened." You will say "How can I make this situation better ?" You will always focus on the solution rather than the problem or the perpetrator of the crime

20. Power

In all areas of life, it is important that you become as powerful as you can. Martial Arts teach the code of the warrior and how to be a powerful fighter. The changes that you receive from the Way of the Warrior teach you what it feels like at a gut level to be powerful. This is an aspect of "The Zone". Find this space and find yourself in it. Personal Power is important if you are to achieve the things you want in life. It is granted freely by Life if you put in the work needed to achieve it but it would be a grave mistake to ever think that your personal power was yours to use as you pleased. That is an idea of the Ego. In truth, you belong to the Power and are an instrument of its intention. Power is physical, mental, emotional, artistic and financial. You need to learn and cultivate all aspects of your power.

19. Learning

Remember that one learns by doing, not simply by attending lectures. There is a hierarchy in learning. If I tell you you forget, if I show you, you remember but if I get you to do it, you will have it forever.

18. Self-Parenting

Learn to become your own parent - to listen to your own inner signals and to trust what your inner guide, your instincts tell you. This is what it means to be autonomous. It is a big part of self-reliance. Once you establish it, it will serve you all your life. That part of your mind that knows what is true is called Buddhi in Sanskrit. It is the parent part of your mind and always wants what is best for your higher good.The key to being a healthy self parent is to develop the "Adult" part of your personality as set out in the books "Games People Play", "TA Today" by Eric Berne and "I'm OK, You're OK" by Thomas A. Harris.

http://www.internet-of-the-mind.com/im_ok.html

http://www.paulstips.com/brainbox/pt/home.nsf/link/13082006-Understanding-the-games-people-play

17.The Life You Were Born to Lead

Before you were born, you were given a special gift to bring to the world and embodied into just the right circumstances for your gift to flower. No-one told you that you were given this gift, how to find it nor what to do with it once you had found it. Once you have been born, your job is to find your gift and give it to everyone who needs it. If you give your gift, your life will be filled with happiness and magic. Sometimes these gifts are revealed in dreams and through meditation.Sometimes an exceptional teacher will have the insight into your nature to be able to tell you what it is and how to develop it.

16. Paying the Price

In this world, you can have anything that you want as long as you are willing to exchange something of value for what you want. People who learn to expect something for nothing,(The Something-for-nothing Brigade) usually wind up getting nothing in real life.

15. Doing the Right Thing

Learn to do the right thing always, simply because it is right, and not for the sake of the approval of others. Doing things for external approval is people-pleasing behaviour. It is craven and unattractive and completely insincere. To act simply because it is right is also known as acting indifferently. Acting this way means that you are simply meeting the need that you see in front of you. Acting indifferently does not mean that you don't care; it means that you have no attachment to or desire for the fruits of your action or any advantage you might gain. It is said that good actions are better than bad actions and that indifferent actions are the best of all because they destroy bad sanskara (karma). Indifferent comes from the Latin for not to carry in two - it means to act from unity.

14. Attitude vs Conscience

Do not worry so much about examining your conscience as about examining your attitude. Conscience is about guilt which is a destructive, corrosive emotion. Attitude is about how you think about people things and situations. It is about what you say about them. Because "Your attitude determines your altitude.", it is important that you remain upbeat, positive, optimistic and that you operate from a place of good will to all, assuming the best in others unless you are proven wrong. Marcus Aurelius once said : "A person's life is what his thoughts make of it."
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/marcus_aurelius.html

13. Uniqueness

Remember you are unique in all the world, a very special person in the Creation who is dignified, important, a very special human being with a major purpose in life and you are completely irreplacable.

12. Character vs Reputation

At all times, be more concerned with your character than your reputation.Your character is what you are while your reputation is merely what others think you are. Having said that, your reputation is important. If anyone ever defames you, sue them without hesitation.

11. Keeping Perspective

No matter what happens to you, remember to laugh at yourself. Dr.Wayne Dyer in his "Rule No.6" story reminds us not to take ourselves so damned seriously. This helps us to remain grounded and to keep our true perspective on things. (The Power of Intention).

10. Mind The Pennies

Always keep a strong grip on your finances. You do not have to be born poor in order to become poor. READ : The Richest Man in Babylon - George S Classon.

9.Experiment with Life

Be courageous in your willingness to experiment with life. Do not let mundane considerations prevent you from asking the "What if...?" questions. Experimentation is natural to you as a child but as we grow older and take on more and more cares and worries we lose the ability to experiment. The tendency is to grow more fearful and to become rigid in our thinking. Resist this change. Take up painting and sculpture and know that there is a block of your time allocated each week where you go into your studio and practice your art, experimenting with new materials and techniques. This will help you to keep your mind flexible.

8. Welcome Change

The one unchanging fact of the Universe is change itself. In this creation, everything is born, grows old, dies and is reborn. This is the great cycle of life and death, the wheel of karma. The only unchanging element in all that is that which observes, your Self. Change is a natural phenomenon and you should embrace it, trusting that the changes that befall you are for your higher good.

7. Seek out the Unknown

Learn to seek out the unknown and to love the mysterious. You may have a scientific education that demands evidence from the senses for what you have to say, and this is very important, but you must also get to love wandering about in the mysterious, the unknown, the fringes of reality. It is there that you will find the undiscovered and the new ideas. In the 1970s Lyall Watson wrote a book called Supernature that is all about this space where loose ends of science and inconvenient experimental results are blithely ignored. Read his book and go into that world. You could come back inspired to create amazing new inventions.
http://www.librarything.com/author/watsonlyall
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jul/23/pressandpublishing
http://katherinelyallwatson.wordpress.com/lyall-watson/
http://www.librarything.com/author/watsonlyall

6. Your Most Grievous Loss

The most grievous loss a man can suffer is the loss of a friend. A true friend loves you for who you are and is blind to your shortcomings. Some friendships last your whole life long. A friendship represents a considerable investment. That is to say, an investment of your substance, your time, your energy and your love. To lose a friend through death or distance is a sad loss indeed but it is much more tragic if you lose a friend through a falling-out that could have been avoided. For that reason, you should always do your level best to avoid having cross words with your friends.

5.The Greatest Evil to Befall You

The greatest evil that can befall a man is that he should come to think ill of himself. You were born with high self-esteem. From the start you knew who you were and that you were perfect. Remember back, if you will, to that time and that feeling. Other people, those with low self-esteem will try to make themselves feel better by undermining your self-esteem. This is how bullies operate. You have a natural birthright to high self-esteem. Never allow yourself to think ill of yourself. So long as you act with honour and integrity, no matter what others may say, think or do, you can hold your head up and be proud of who you are.

4. Average people do things right ; You must do the Right Thing

You should study the Wayne Dyer books "Pulling Your Own Strings" and "What You Really Want for Your Children" to find a fuller explanation of this. In short, you need to become a No-Limit Person. The distinction between being averange and no-limit that Dr.Dyer makes is that of doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing and anything else would be insanity. An average person is trained to do things right but couldn't tell you why. The No-Limit person knows why it is the right thing.

http://www.drwaynedyer.com/
http://www.drwaynedyer.com/daily-inspiration

3.There is no Wealth but Life Itself

All the wealth in the world is no good if you are ill or dead. You should have a disciplined approach to all your monetary affairs and always work to maximise your wealth. This MUST be combined with a healthy mind in a sound body. You should read a little philosophy or scripture every day to keep your mind clear and exercise every day to keep your body healthy. Walk, Swim and train in your Martial Arts. The Martial Arts will help you to protect your body from injury. Meditate, eat well, exercise properly and get proper sleep. These will keep you healthy throughout your life so that you can enjoy the wealth that you earn.

2. On Exploitation

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A WELL ADJUSTED SLAVE.

There is a legal doctrine called Quantum Maruit which is simply Latin for "The amount earned." It simply means that the labourer is worthy of his hire. You may be asked to do voluntary work for the sake of a good cause. This is a good and generous thing to do. Do it with an open heart and as a gift, expecting no reward or else refuse if you cannot do it in that spirit. If you feel you are being exploited, the chances are that you are picking up some subliminal signals that your generosity is indeed being plundered for the benefit of someone else's bank balance. As the anti-drugs campaign says : "Just Say No !"

Exploitation takes many forms but it is usually in the form of low or absent wages. The person who is insisting that you should work for free is usually very well paid on a regular basis themselves. Ask what the monetary value of whatever is being offered in exchange is. You should have some idea of what the hourly rate for your labour is and refuse to work for less. When I was 14 years old, I was offered the princely sum of £5 per week working in a dusty factory. I refused because I already had a job paying me £22.10 per week plus all the adventure I could handle at sea. Indeed you should realise that exchanging your labour for cash is really a poor bargain. It makes much more sense to exchange your labour for assets which will in turn provide you with cash for years to come.

1. On being conflicted

No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves.

You need to be clear about where you stand on issues. When you have doubts and inner conflicts go off somewhere quiet to your poustinia or ashram. Meditate a little then reduce the conflict to one sentence or phrase or even one word then reflect on it. Do this by sounding it in mind as you would your mantra in meditation. After a suitable time either the answer will have come to you or not. If not, remain open to hearing it or encountering some lesson to teach you. Be coherent, congruent and cogent.

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to make all the wisdom I have perceived over the years within myself, together with that from outside sources, available to my son so that he will be able to ask in the future "What would my Dad have to say about this?" and actually have some chance of getting the answer !

Mark, feel free to add to it and update any entries that you think need to be modernised and if there is anything here you find to be wrong, do not hesitate to alter and correct it. Keep working on it in order to pass it on to your own children_ your Dad, Dominic Mulvey