Effort

“John Wooden taught us that doing the best you are capable of is victory enough.”
-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1947- )

John Wooden, who coached UCLA’s championship basketball team for so many years, is one of the best-loved sports figures out there. What made him such a great coach is not only his love of the game, but his love of his players, and his love of life. John Wooden is a philosopher. He is a sage. We would all do well to listen to what he has to say!
-Lissa Coffey

Energy

“ Energy is Eternal Delight.”
-William Blake (1757-1827)

Think about the energy of the sun. It provides light and heat and even solar power. It is there for us all day; we can count on it. And through the great organizational power of the universe, night falls. Day and night. Activity and silence. There is a lesson for us here. Delight in the differences. Energy gained through silence can be joyful, fruitful, and enriching.
-Lissa Coffey

Enthusiasm

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm; it moves stones, it charms brutes. Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity, and truth accomplishes no victories without it.”
-Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Enthusiasm is really spirit bubbling through us, that’s why it’s so contagious! It is attractive, magnetic even – people around can’t help but get a lift from all that positive energy emanating forth. Enthusiasm feels good. It is real, and natural, and life affirming.
-Lissa Coffey

Experience

“We learn geology the morning after the earthquake.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Aren’t we funny? This is so true! Sometimes it takes something to “shake us up” so that we can learn. And then we do – we learn from our experiences, both positive and negative. All of life is our classroom; every day there are lessons for us. It’s up to us if we want to do our homework and be prepared – and a lot of that is basically keeping up our spiritual practices. Or, we could goof off and take our chances that we won’t get hit with a “pop quiz!” Whatever happens, we will eventually figure it out.
-Lissa Coffey

Effort

“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.”
-Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

Full effort is mindfulness. It’s being present in the moment, concentrating on the task at hand and not on the results. When we’re in that space where we’re putting in effort, doing our best, we lose track of time and experience the now. That’s a victory!
-Lissa Coffey

Effort

“You can’t always get what you want.
But if you try sometimes,
You just might find
You get what you need.”
-Mick Jagger (1943 - ) and Keith Richards (1943 - ) song, 1969

It usually takes something to motivate us to make that effort. It’s like we begin with the end in mind – that’s our goal, what we are working towards. But along the way, things might change. We certainly change and grow from the experience – and maybe that’s just what we really need. We can find some of the most amazing spiritual messages in our own music. Are we listening?
-Lissa Coffey

Effort

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.”
-Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Yes! This is totally encouraging! In the choices that we make, we have the ability to change, and improve our lives! Where are we choosing to put our efforts? What endeavors have we chosen to pursue? I found another quote said: “Rowing harder doesn’t help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.” (Kenichi Ohmae, 1989) If we happen to re-evaluate and decide that this particular endeavor has not rewarded our efforts in some way, we can choose again, change direction! And we take with us our experiences and newfound knowledge.
-Lissa Coffey

Effort

“Babies are a nuisance, of course. But so does everything seem to be that is worth while – husbands and books and committees and being loved and everything. We have to choose between barren ease and rich unrest.”
-Winifred Holtby, in Vera Brittain, Testament of Friendship, 1940

Everything worthwhile involves effort. And it’s true that we get out of life what we put into it. Put in nothing, get back nothing. Put in some effort and love and reap the rewards! If we want a rich life, spiritually and otherwise, we’ve got to go for it! Doing our practices, whether it is prayer, meditation, volunteer work, reading, or anything – takes effort, takes time. But we feel the good at work in our lives. We see things from a different perspective. We know we are growing and learning and it is all so worth it!
-Lissa Coffey

Energy

“The worshipper of energy is too physically energetic to see that he cannot explore certain higher fields until he is still.”
-Clarence Day (1874-1935)

Since I have been teaching meditation, many people have said to me: “I can’t meditate, I have too much energy!” Energy can be our ally, it gives us the vitality we need to accomplish, to excel. And yet, if we can’t tame our energy enough to allow ourselves to sit still and just be, then that energy can be counterproductive. Yes, energy is good! And we can make much better use of it when we spend some time in silence.
-Lissa Coffey

Energy

“The greater the tension, the greater is the potential. Great energy springs from a correspondingly great tension of opposites.”
-Carl G. Jung (1875-1961)

It’s all about balance. If we are in that “go go go” mode all the time then we burn ourselves out. We need time for silence, we need time to recharge our batteries. Then we can come at life from a new, fresh perspective.
-Lissa Coffey

Energy

“Life engenders life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.”
-Sarah Bernhardt (1966)

Energy is one of those things that seems to be contagious! Have you ever noticed how a low-energy meeting gets revved up when someone comes up with a great idea? We feed off each other’s energy all the time! How great is it to be the one who can light up a room?! Let’s do what we can to lift the energy around us every day – it could be as simple as sharing a smile.
-Lissa Coffey

Energy

“Energy is the power that drives every human being. It is not lost by exertion but maintained by it, for it is a faculty of the psyche.”
-Germaine Greer (1973)

Sometimes when we’re feeling down or tired, the best thing to pick us up is a brisk walk! A little exertion of energy gets the juices flowing – then we can think more clearly and make better decisions for ourselves. We need to strive for a balance between quiet and activity. Too much of either one gets us out of kilter.
-Lissa Coffey

Enthusiasm

“All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
-Charles Kingsley

There are so many things that we could be enthusiastic about, but do we let ourselves get worked up? Too often we hold back, we say we don’t want to “get our hopes up” or we’re afraid to jump into something when we might fall back on our behinds. But there’s a reason why we get enthusiastic about the things that we get enthusiastic about – and that’s to lead us toward happiness! Enthusiasm is a cue for us to participate, get involved, “just do it!”
-Lissa Coffey

Enthusiasm

“Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.”
-Dale Carnegie

Remember that formula! When we’re really excited about something, if we want to make something happen, all we need to do is to share our enthusiasm, use common sense, and don’t give up! It’s that simple. Success begins with enthusiasm.
-Lissa Coffey

Enthusiasm

“The measure of an enthusiasm must be taken between interesting events. It is between bites that the lukewarm angler loses heart.”
-Edwin Way Teale

Can’t you just picture this scenario? A fisherman who LOVES to fish doesn’t just love those moments when he actually lands one – he loves the whole process. Similarly, an actor with an enthusiasm for acting is just as happy doing a part in a community theatre production as he would be handing out resumes, taking a scene class, or starring in a feature film. It’s the whole process that generates enthusiasm when we truly love to do what we do.
-Lissa Coffey

Enthusiasm

“No one keeps up his enthusiasm automatically. Enthusiasm must be nourished with new actions, new aspirations, new efforts, new vision. Compete with yourself; set your teeth and dive into the job of breaking your own record. It is one’s own fault if his enthusiasm is gone; he has failed to feed it.”
-Papyrus

Knowing that enthusiasm fuels our fire and keeps us going, it is up to us to maintain the enthusiasm necessary to keep ourselves on track. Enthusiasm can be found, and it can be created. So if you can’t find it, make it!
-Lissa Coffey

Experience

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, St. (1809-1894)

So where do these insights come from if not from experience? They come from the infinite wisdom of the Universe. We can tap into it at any time through meditation. Everything we need to know is right there for us. Meditation gives us direct experience of the spirit.
-Lissa Coffey

Experience

“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the scholar or philosopher, not the master, saint, or teacher, but life itself- direct experience of life.”
-Henry Miller (1891-1980)

There are all different ways of learning and growing. There are amazing works by brilliant people available to us at any time. And we can gain so much from the words of our fellow man. But where did they get these insights? At some point, the knowledge has to be experienced to be understood. And when it is understood, then it can be expressed. We all know what lessons we have learned from our experiences. And this is a big part of why we’re here – to experience life, to learn and to grow.
-Lissa Coffey

Experience

“Experience is what you get looking for something else.”
-Mary Pettibone Poole, 1938

And many years later, John Lennon said: “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” This is why “going with the flow” is such an important concept for our spiritual growth. We never know what we are going to encounter along the way! Our experiences help to shape our perceptions; they help us to discover more of who we really are. What are we looking for? It doesn’t matter… what we find, through our experiences, is ourselves.
-Lissa Coffey

Experience

“What is it which is bought dearly, offered for nothing, and then most often refused? – Experience, old people’s experience.”
-Isak Dinesen, 1934

We learn from our experiences. And it is our privilege to share those experiences with other people. We’re here to help each other. Whether or not we learn from each other is an individual choice. The gems of experiences that are collected over the years form a treasure chest of wisdom that longs to be distributed. Why not tap into that wealth? And in turn, we’re giving someone the gift of being recognized and valued.
-Lissa Coffey