What Happens When You Set Standards Too High?

Posted in Perspective · Self Improvement |  Email This Post | by James Rick

When you set unrealistic standards, you are making a commitment that you just can’t keep. It’s like walking into a gym with the bold plan to lift 500 lb weights your first time. It sounds like a glorious idea and it will make you feel significant to tell people of your high standard. But in practice when you try to lift the weight and it falls on your throat, the experience might cause you so much pain, embarrassment and self disappointment you never attempt to set any standard, or you end up settling for far less than you’re actually capable of.

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Someone brought up an important point for clarification in the last newsletter: the difference between standards inside yourself that you completely control and standards outside yourself that are generally beyond your control - and therefore INEVITABLY violated.

“My struggle was over allowing a friend to come into my home with filthy bare feet, green with horse dung, and walk diet onto my floors. This was a standard of disrespect to herself and to me that I had not encountered before but I was allowing it for fear of being offensive whilst being offended. Next time I will speak kindly but firmly and put a stop to it.”

You will find that setting high standards outside of yourself, like house cleanliness can actually cause you more stress than necessary. The difference here is control. You can set personal standards within yourself and control them. When you start setting standards about your environment - outside your control you are setting yourself up for aggravation. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set external standards, it just means that if you insist on maintaining these standards you should readily communicate them and be flexible in changing them.

To properly assess the value of your standards:

(1) Look at where the control is: when you commit to a healthy lifestyle who has the control - you do. When you commit to a clean house you only have moderate control, if it’s important to you set the standard but be open about it. No standard that is important to you is worth keeping silent. It’s HOW you communicate openly that will determine whether you still have a friend or not after you voice it.
(2) Take the long term view. A house is temporary, the house will eventually get dirty. Personal growth is long term. Keeping commitments with the self are long term. A friendship of open communication and mutual respect is long term.

In short: the value of a standard is based on your level of control and the long term impact.

- James Rick
http://www.jamesrick.com/blog

What Happens When You Don’t Follow Your Own Standards?

Posted in Perspective · Self Improvement · Spiritual Guidance |  Email This Post | by James Rick

When you don’t follow through on your own standards, it’s like making a commitment with yourself and then breaking it. Anytime you break a commitment with yourself you feel a sense of disappointment. This self disappointment can erode self image making you feel even worse. If this has been going on for quite some time you might tell people you lack discipline, you are weak or lazy and even joke about it as a way to restore some sense of self image - when laziness becomes apart of your identity you might then feel it’s okay.

Forming an identity out of un-serving behaviors can be quite dangerous. A belief that you are your behaviors can lock you into a pattern that you may never get out of unless: a) you reach a bottom and decide enough is enough. Or b) you realize and embrace the idea that your potential is so much greater than what you are now displaying. When you can envision a reality beyond what you’re currently living, this potential reality can excite you with enough energy to aim higher and set new standards even if they are a more challenging way to live.

Is a Child’s Tendency to Organize Things Evidence of Evolution?

Posted in General |  Email This Post | by James Rick

In my response to one author’s question: Why Do Many Toddler’s Have a Desire to Organize Things? I wrote:

According to some learning theorist, children organize things outwardly because that’s what their brain is doing with information inwardly. The brain is only carrying out instructions that occur on an even smaller level. The brain itself was created by this information. The protein bits and bytes found in DNA.

Do you think this information organization stops delivering instructions just because you experience life on the macro level? No - the information organization keeps going constantly in response to your environment.

And if you think about it (because thinking is organization), we recognize intelligence as the ability to organize chaos. Edison sorted through an infinite number of possible configurations for creating a light bulb and because he was finally able to identify the right combination we consider him intelligent. Einstein took an infinite number of scribbles and produced a formula that ‘made sense’, was usable or in other words - organized. The formulas were always there, but it took intelligent life to organize it into a coherent structure.

Nearly all humans are intelligent to some degree though, when you consider that out of an infinite number of actions (such as making sounds into speech or blocks into buildings) humans produce what appears organized.

Intelligence is the one force in the universe that appears to be organizing information, while everything else in the universe appears to be breaking down into disorganization (entropy.) At the same time, where does that desire to be lazy or destroy come from? I believe it comes from entropy (personified by some to be Satan) inherent in all nature. The battle for ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is really the battle between spiritually guided intelligence (guided from a higher power) and entropy (the tendency to destroy or in lesser forms laziness)

Yes indeed, it is my observation that a child’s desire to organize things is evidence of evolution. Not the dumb Darwinian excuse for evolution, but an intelligent force I refer to as evolution. The evolution I refer to is alive and has some higher power behind it.

Why Is Setting and Honoring Personal Standards Important?

Posted in Perspective · Self Improvement |  Email This Post | by James Rick

Personal standards determine your degree of tolerance. The higher the standard the less you’ll tolerate. Personal standards are important but of even greater importance is discriminating where to set standards. If you have high standards for everything - you’ll eventually have a nervous breakdown. But high standards for areas that are most important are critical for developing motivation to improve those areas.

Human beings take action when they are fed up with something, not concerned (which is when they complain) but fed up and will not tolerate any more.

If we broke this down into action steps:
1) Determine the areas of your life that are most important. (I define the six major areas of life as: physical, mental, spiritual, social, emotional and financial)
2) Now describe where you’re at in those areas. What does the current reality look like. What are you currently SETTLING for?
3) Now describe what you’d like your life to look like in these areas. What kind of personal standards would you need to set in order to get fed up with the way things are now? (so you can develop the motivation to take action)
4) Now in your mind decide that you will no longer tolerate the way things are and decide now that you’re not sure what you’re going to do, but decide that you’re going to do something!
5) Now begin thinking with a blank sheet of paper, write down all the ideas as possible ‘plans’ for improving each of the six major areas of life. Consider the best idea and take action on it. Trust that although it may not be the best idea, if you at least take action on something better ideas will come along and they’ll be easier to carry out because you’ve got momentum.

All actions in life are experiments. And failure should be thought of as feedback. If something doesn’t work, try something else. If that does not work, try something else. Personal standards are key for staying motivated to continue in this process.

Free Is Your Reality

Posted in Perspective · Spiritual Guidance |  Email This Post | by James Rick

You will feel a sense of ‘higher truth’ when you maintain you awareness of the temporariness of all life - instead of being shocked you accept whatever should enter your awareness that justifies this fact.

Instead of feeling uncomfortable when you consider temporariness - feel what it feels like and let go of controlling the feeling, just accept it.

The consideration of temporariness is more true than any illusion of security you’ve created. Though you might cage yourself to feel safe (the comfort zone). The security the cage creates is an illusion because the cage is in free fall!

A reality that frequently considers temporariness can feel scary at first, but when it really takes hold, it can be liberating; no longer bound by the fear of losing security you overcome fear. Free is your reality.

How to Operate from the Most Empowering Perspective

Posted in Full Potential Videos · Perspective · Spiritual Guidance |  Email This Post | by James Rick

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When you zoom in you engage life, live it fully and appreciate the moment. Appreciating all the good that exists in your life right now is an excellent way to zoom in. But you don’t have to remain engaged when you suffer a loss, an insult or other types of challenges that throw you off balance, in other words you don’t have to stand in the fire and feel the pain of being inside an Ego / personality.

There are times, especially when you are shocked or knocked off balance when you are more empowered by zooming out and observing life from a great distance. Thinking about the temporariness of this life and the inevitable death of this identity is a great way to zoom out. By having both the tools to engage life and detach from it - you will have the ability to choose your most empowering perspective in any given moment.

The Zoom In and Zoom out method works because you are awareness and through the power of perspective you choose where your energy of awareness moves and what it experiences.

Reality - the Collective Agreement: Life Beyond the Five Physical Senses

Posted in Dreams · Spiritual Guidance |  Email This Post | by James Rick

Does ‘life’ require a nervous system? And if not - then why do we need a physical body? This article attempts to understand dreams and spiritual experiences beyond the brain and the five physical senses.

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When the memories of a world far away from here have subsided I find myself aware of this reality once again.

How do I know that I am still alive? Not because I think as Descartes said, but because I am aware and can observe thought. I am one level above the thinker.

I AM NOT THE THINKER

And why if I am above the thinker can I not transcend this thinker and know all thought? Maybe at some point I have or will, but for now I perceive life and thought through one mind that binds my perspective to a time and a place, generating the appearance of individuality.

WHERE DO DREAM EXPERIENCES COME FROM?

And when I dream of a world far away, what sense am I using then – when the five physical senses rest peacefully in my bed? When I am aware of the cheering crowd, the angry bear, the turbulent river and the language of my time – where do these experiences come from? Are they created in the brain; a construction of memories and imagination or are they real experiences of awareness; a temporary glimpse of realms beyond the brain? The answer here would forever settle the question of life after physical death.

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT REALITY RELY ON A LIMITED BRAIN

The irony is that I can only draw a conclusion about this after my brain has weighed the evidence on both sides of experience (physical and astral). I AS AWARENESS (existing in my brain for the time being) have allowed my brain to make an assumption based on the limitations of my brain’s logic. I say the brain’s logic is limited because it forms beliefs on very little information and then constructs a complete picture of reality based on this limited information. In short the brain makes a lot of assumptions based on limited information. And what dear reader is the difference between assumption and faith?

DREAMS DO NOT REQUIRE THE FIVE PHYSICAL SENSES

If my body is sleeping yet I’m still having an experience – I am experiencing a life beyond my nervous system. If this is indeed the case, it means that I do not require the five physical senses to experience life.

WHY IS THE BODY NECESSARY?

Why then is this body necessary. What is so important about experiencing life in a mortal body – if we can experience life in an immortal one? It seems so limiting to live in a fragile, limited shell torched away by the relentless hand of time. This question depends on whether the body is the foundation for all experiences – because then any experience even those in sleep or meditation would be based on body memory and therefore creations of the brain. Or if the body is simply a vehicle for living in this reality for some greater purpose, it would make sense that you could periodically experience life beyond the nervous system, since you would not need it for higher experiences anyway.

ARE DREAMS BASED ON MEMORY OR ARE THEY INDEPENDENT REALMS?

Is it necessary to have a physical body to even have the sensory building blocks to dream, which would mean that dreams occur only after sensory experience is gathered and dreams are therefore brain projections. Or would I dream without ever having a physical body, which would mean that the world of dreams pre-exist whether I have acquired sensory experience to make sense of them or not. The key question here is – do I create dream worlds (brain based) or simply experience them (beyond the brain).

WHAT ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF OTHER ‘SPIRITUAL’ EXPERIENCES?

And even if dreams were individual projections, arising only in one mind not to be shared experientially by others, are their not other transcendent experiences that are collectively agreed upon -which would prove the existence of life beyond physical death? For examples experiences that arise in meditation or regular spiritual practice over several years can be collectively agreed upon and therefore offer strong evidence for existence beyond this reality.

HOW RELIABLE IS COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT?

We agree on a sane person versus an insane person based on their degree of alignment with our own map of reality. It is through the method of collective agreement that we even understand this reality! We use collective agreement as the chief method of ensuring reality is the way we believe it is. This method is obviously far from sound. If enough people believe a thing to be true – does that make it true? No. Collective agreement in my observation is a better foundation than assumption or faith, but still it has its own limitations.

Nowhere is the limitation of collective agreement more pronounced than in a society where media rules collective thought. In short, just because something is collectively agreed upon does not make it truer! The lone voice with a clear map that cries out in opposition could be declared insane by the collective even they are by true definition – insane! Societies in every generation have been proven insane as far back as recorded history.

YOUR REALITY

Your understanding or reality depends on what sources of information you consider. Do you take the perspective of the whole world into consideration or are you bound to one peer group, one nation or one religious sect. Do you attempt to understand as much about reality as possible or have you become lazy in your quest to understand it, resting instead on past beliefs?

EXISTENCE BEYOND THE FIVE PHYSICAL SENSES

And as for the existence of life beyond this reality I would ask you what you think but I want you to get clear of the obstructions of the brain’s limitations. To do this you will have to seek in a way that goes beyond the brain. The brain will still interpret those experiences – but you will have a stronger more ‘spiritual’ basis for constructing your reality – beyond faith or assumption. Don’t settle for what you’re told – seek, seek, seek with all your heart.

And if indeed life does exist beyond this reality – then surely, surely a physical body has a purpose and you should do your best to preserve it in health and utilize it in expressing your individual purpose.

Rise Above the Battlefield

Posted in Self Improvement |  Email This Post | by James Rick

It’s easy to get absorbed by the battlefield and exist among strategies and tactics but you must persevere and rise above as often as you remember to, see the battle field from a hilltop and rise even further. See the war - and ah from this higher perspective you may even choose your wars.

Strive for the big picture perspective and place yourself where you’ll be most effective.

Full Potential Quick Tip: Create a Daily Structure

Posted in Full Potential Videos · Self Improvement |  Email This Post | by James Rick

Find more videos like this on Full Potential

Scientists have observed the human mind thinks on average 50,000 thoughts a day. They have also observed that roughly 98% of these thoughts are these thoughts are the same thoughts day to day. Your habitual thought patterns can create a heaven or hell.

You can control these daily patterns by designing a daily structure; an example of this is a Morning ritual such as meditating or reading. An afternoon ritual might consist of exercise and an evening ritual  of zooming out, reflecting on the day and re-planning the next day or week ahead. Take some time today to create a daily structure that’s just right for you.

Should Emotional Goals Take Priority Over Physical Goals?

Posted in Emotional · Self Improvement |  Email This Post | by James Rick

What would happen if you sought the emotions you thought physical objects would give you, instead of the physical objects themselves?

When you seek physical objects first (aside from fulfilling basic survival needs) you sacrifice emotional fulfillment in pursuit of some object you assume will ultimately produce a desired emotional state. Shortcut the process by clearly specifying the emotional state you desire and remaining open to other channels through which that emotional state can be achieved.

Seeking emotional states leaves the ‘means by which you reach those emotional states’ open, rather than seeking physical objects in the assumption that will produce a desired yet unspecified emotional state. The good news is this, emotional states can be achieved very rapidly, while physical goals can take a long time to manifest.

An emotional goal is something like this:
To FEEL more love in my heart
To FEEL more peace
To FEEL more compassion for others
To FEEL more secure financially
To FEEL more freedom
To FEEL more adventure or excitement in my life.

When you prioritize emotional states over physical objects, you can feel good now while you work towards your physical goals. As a result of higher energy, you will accelerate the physical goal manifestation process. And because you’re not relying on physical objects to give you certain emotions, you will have a much more stable emotional state.