1oddmanout Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 A friend sends out these nice thoughts regularly, and I use them a lot, but the frequent phrases relating to "pray" and "God" suddenly disturbed me. I don't believe in a God to pray to, and I can't fathom praying to my group, even if I use it as a "higher power". Yet, I wonder what a good replacement could be, and would appreciate your thoughts. Some ways to deal with stress and replace worrying with something better... ...worry borrows trouble from the future. or replays pain from the past If we worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, we have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, how does worry help. Far better to take some of these actions Instead of worrying... 1. Pray 2. Go to bed earlier. 3. Get up earlier so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is sometimes not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. and to breathe 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 10. Take one day at a time. Take one hour at a time. Take one moment at a time. ....breathe in and savor the moment 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what God would have you do and let go of any worry and anxiety. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Nip small problems in the bud with kindness. and pray. 24. Make friends with Godly people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings or scriptures on hand. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple prayer "Help me God and Thank you God." 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they need it and are starved for it). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. 33 Talk less; listen more. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) ... Courtesy of Bob ... author is unknown ...with a few edits ______________________________________________________ Thanks for the good you are doing today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japedo Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 All my edits are bold and scratched out! Some ways to deal with stress and replace worrying with something better... ...worry borrows trouble from the future. or replays pain from the past If we worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, we have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, how does worry help. Far better to take some of these actions Instead of worrying... 1. Learn to Divert your mind to something more pleasant. 2. Go to bed earlier. 3. Get up earlier so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is sometimes not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. and to breathe 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 10. Take one day at a time. Take one hour at a time. Take one moment at a time. ....breathe in and savor the moment 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what Is the best route to take, and let go of any worry and anxiety. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a CD or Talk radio while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 23. Having problems?Talk to the person you're having problems with on the spot. Nip small problems in the bud with directness. and strength. 24. Make friends with godly people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings or quotes on hand. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple way of looking at things different. 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they need it and are starved for it). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. 33 Talk less; listen more. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember YOU HAVE A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) ... Courtesy of Bob &Japedo ... author is unknown ...with a few edits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 A friend sends out these nice thoughts regularly, and I use them a lot, but the frequent phrases relating to "pray" and "God" suddenly disturbed me. I don't believe in a God to pray to, and I can't fathom praying to my group, even if I use it as a "higher power". Yet, I wonder what a good replacement could be, and would appreciate your thoughts. Some ways to deal with stress and replace worrying with something better... ...worry borrows trouble from the future. or replays pain from the past If we worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, we have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, how does worry help. Far better to take some of these actions Instead of worrying... 1. Pray - Meditate 2. Go to bed earlier. 3. Get up earlier so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is sometimes not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. and to breathe 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 10. Take one day at a time. Take one hour at a time. Take one moment at a time. ....breathe in and savor the moment 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what God your good conscious would have you do and let go of any worry and anxiety. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 23. Having problems? Talk to your inner voice, your good conscious, on the spot. Nip small problems in the bud with kindness. and pray meditate on it. 24. Make friends with Godly decent people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings or scriptures on hand. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple prayer meditation "Help me God inner voice, and Thank you." 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they need it and are starved for it). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. 33 Talk less; listen more. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember GOD LUCK CAN CHANGE, AND HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God our good conscious is for us, who can be against us?" ... Courtesy of Bob ... author is unknown ...with a few edits ______________________________________________________ Thanks inner self, for the good you are doing today Good conscious, or, your inner voice, is really imo what people are calling "god" anyway. And praying is considered a form of meditation. It may not have the "poetic" feel to it, literal wise, that the original had, but the meaning is the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIM Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 All my edits are bold and scratched out! LOL Japedo, we posted at the exact same time! Great minds think alike I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Great edit job Japedo!! Now its great advice all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Another few variations (my edits in boldface): 1. Think. <...> 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what to do and let go of any worry and anxiety. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. <...> 23. Having problems? Call a friend or therapist. Nip small problems in the bud with kindness. 24. Make friends with humane people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings on hand. 26. (Just ditch this one entirely.) <...> 36 . Every day, think of and be glad for one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember life has its ups and downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 0. Shorter lists = more time 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. 33 Talk less; listen more. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. I just hacked out a bunch that seemed redundant (I guess I'm not really helping ). mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple 'OH, FUCK IT!' and opening a tin of beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 It is a great list, especially with the suggested modifications. Never liked the word "hope". You hope things go well. Very passive. Just like "pray". The only way to get things done is to do them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbobrob Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple 'OH, FUCK IT!' and opening a tin of beerThere is even a website: The Fuck It Way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hey, I'm a Taoist sage... who knew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 My ideas in BOLD Instead of worrying... 1. Think about something you like. 2. Go to bed earlier. 3. Get up earlier so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is sometimes not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. and to breathe 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 10. Take one day at a time. Take one hour at a time. Take one moment at a time. ....breathe in and savor the moment 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what a mature adult would have you do and let go of any worry and anxiety. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage you're children, family and friends. This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Nip small problems in the bud with kindness. and pray. Understand that this is life and if you are patient, mature and levl-headed, you'll find a solution ..... if there is one. As a mature adult, you may just have to accept that you screwed up, and take the whipping, .... and as a mature adult, ensure that you don't do it again. 24. Make friends with Godly people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings or scriptures thoughts or ideas on hand. Use all sources - make sure the they have a personal meaning for you. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple prayer "Help me God and Thank you God." simple acceptance, a mature evaluation of the situation and a considered plan. Take time to think - don't expect someone else to solve your problems. 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they need it and are starved for it). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. 33 Talk less; listen more. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful that you live in the early 21st century when life is so much better than it ever has been. Be grateful if you have no or only small problems and remember that life really coold be much, much worse. If you're an average Jane or Joe in a developed nation, with a job and couple of bucks in your pocket, just accept you are lucky .... very lucky. that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) Enjoy Spatz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Harley Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 some good ones... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Instead of 'pray', I'd say 'hope'. And instead of: '36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) ' '36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember YOU ARE AN AMAZING PERSON IN AN AMAZING WORLD "All that lives is holy, life delights in life, because the soul of sweet delight can never be defil'd" (William Blake)' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Oddmanout, I went through it and made a lot of changes to make it say what works for me. I striked through the parts that I find unhelpful and used red for my additions. This is not exactly what you asked for but it seems others have already done that. My method may not be exactly what works for others but it works for me. A friend sends out these nice thoughts regularly, and I use them a lot, but the frequent phrases relating to "pray" and "God" suddenly disturbed me. I don't believe in a God to pray to, and I can't fathom praying to my group, even if I use it as a "higher power". Yet, I wonder what a good replacement could be, and would appreciate your thoughts. Some ways to deal with stress and replace worrying with something better... ...worry borrows trouble from the future. or replays pain from the past If we worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, we have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, how does worry help. Far better to take some of these actions Instead of worrying... 1. Pray Figure out what the problem, find a way to solve it, then solve it. 2. Go to bed earlier. 3. Get up earlier so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is sometimes not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. and to breathe 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 10. Take one day at a time. Take one hour at a time. Take one moment at a time. ....breathe in and savor the moment 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what God would have you do visualize a worst-case scenario and break it down into its smallest parts and write out a point-by-point/step-by-step plan on how to deal with it; if you don't know the details, do the research to find out. and let go of any worry and anxiety. This will allow you to let go of the worry and anxiety of the unknown because you now know how to deal with it. If, by any chance you know the project is beyond your capabilities, ask for the necessary help. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Have a talk with yourself in your head about it. Sometimes "talking about it" or "thinking it through" by "putting it into words" helps clarify things so they can be dealt with. Nip small problems in the bud with kindness. and pray. and figure out how to keep them from recurring. 24. Make friends with Godly mature, critically-thinking people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings or scriptures wisdom literature on hand. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple prayer "Help me God and Thank you God." mental block on the negative and focus on something positive till the black moment passes. 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they need it and are starved for it). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. Nurture your Self so you feel strong for the blows and joys of life and to give to others. 33 Talk less; listen more. Be who you are. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) things have a way of taking care of themselves and evening out even when we do nothing. Doing the best we can with what we've got at the moment is all that is required of us. What is over and above that we can let go and need not feel guilty. THINGS WILL WORK OUT. (Life, 1956-Present) ... Courtesy of Bob ... author is unknown ...with a few edits ______________________________________________________ Thanks for the good you are doing today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oddmanout Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Oddmanout, I went through it and made a lot of changes to make it say what works for me. I striked through the parts that I find unhelpful and used red for my additions. This is not exactly what you asked for but it seems others have already done that. My method may not be exactly what works for others but it works for me. A friend sends out these nice thoughts regularly, and I use them a lot, but the frequent phrases relating to "pray" and "God" suddenly disturbed me. I don't believe in a God to pray to, and I can't fathom praying to my group, even if I use it as a "higher power". Yet, I wonder what a good replacement could be, and would appreciate your thoughts. Some ways to deal with stress and replace worrying with something better... ...worry borrows trouble from the future. or replays pain from the past If we worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, we have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, how does worry help. Far better to take some of these actions Instead of worrying... 1. Pray Figure out what the problem, find a way to solve it, then solve it. 2. Go to bed earlier. 3. Get up earlier so you can start the day unrushed. 4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your health. 5. Delegate tasks to capable others. 6. Simplify and unclutter your life. 7. Less is more. (Although one is sometimes not enough, two are often too many.) 8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places. and to breathe 9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects; rather than bunching hard things together. 10. Take one day at a time. Take one hour at a time. Take one moment at a time. ....breathe in and savor the moment 11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, consider what God would have you do visualize a worst-case scenario and break it down into its smallest parts and write out a point-by-point/step-by-step plan on how to deal with it; if you don't know the details, do the research to find out. and let go of any worry and anxiety. This will allow you to let go of the worry and anxiety of the unknown because you now know how to deal with it. If, by any chance you know the project is beyond your capabilities, ask for the necessary help. If you can't do anything productive about a situation, forget it and move on to something you can affect positively. 12. Live within your budget; 13. Have backups and Plan B's; keep an extra car key and house key. 14. Praise and encourage This can create happiness and prevent pain. 15. Do something for the child in you everyday. 16. Carry a Book with you to read while waiting in line. 17. Get enough rest. 18. Eat right. 19 Get organized so everything has its place. 20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life. 21. Write down thoughts and inspirations. 22. Every day, find time for reflection and meditation. 23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Have a talk with yourself in your head about it. Sometimes "talking about it" or "thinking it through" by "putting it into words" helps clarify things so they can be dealt with. Nip small problems in the bud with kindness. and pray. and figure out how to keep them from recurring. 24. Make friends with Godly mature, critically-thinking people. 25. Keep a folder of favorite sayings or scriptures wisdom literature on hand. 26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a simple prayer "Help me God and Thank you God." mental block on the negative and focus on something positive till the black moment passes. 27. Laugh. 28. Laugh some more! 29. Take your work seriously, but do not take yourself seriously. 30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can). 31. Be kind to unkind people (they need it and are starved for it). 32. Tame and reduce your ego. Nurture your Self so you feel strong for the blows and joys of life and to give to others. 33 Talk less; listen more. Be who you are. 34. Slow down. 35. Remember that you are not the general manager of the universe. 36 . Every day, think of, and be grateful for, one thing that you've never thanked anyone for before. Remember GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND. " If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) things have a way of taking care of themselves and evening out even when we do nothing. Doing the best we can with what we've got at the moment is all that is required of us. What is over and above that we can let go and need not feel guilty. THINGS WILL WORK OUT. (Life, 1956-Present) ... Courtesy of Bob ... author is unknown ...with a few edits ______________________________________________________ Thanks for the good you are doing today THanks, RubySera; your additions in red match right up with how I like to solve problems (when I get my head out of the sand, I mean). I will take #36 especially to heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Oddmanout, I'm glad you like my changes. I looked over it just now and notices that I forgot to strike through #1. Pray. I have now edited my own post but obviously I can't do anything with your copy of it. Nor do I think most people will get hung up on it. Even while I was a christian I found it worked best to Figure out what the problem, find a way to solve it, then solve it. Now I just skip the prayer step. However, there is one problem in skipping the prayer step. Prayer is literally an overview of what the problem is. As one explains to God what went wrong and what needs fixing, one's brain is investigating the problem and anticipating a way to fix it. With that investigation often comes an idea on how to solve it. That is how prayer used to be so effective for me when it came to problem-solving. However, there were problems that were beyond my power to solve. And that was where I lost my faith in prayer. Life had come to a dead stop. The only problem was my body wouldn't die so I am still alive. I had to wait an entire hour to see a counselor. During that hour, as I sat out in the humid air of the September supperhour, the conviction came to me as clearly as a voice from outside of me: Prayer is wrong. Neither God nor man cares what happens to you. I forget the details of the painful situation but it felt like my life was literally on the line. It had to do with a prof and my future at a new school in a new program. I continued identifying as a Christian as I bull-headedly pushed on into the future. The counselor was but a young woman who looked fresh from college. What could she know? Well, she obviously knew the books. And I was a textbook case of hopelessness. (I know this because I have taken enough basic counseling courses myself.) For those of you who say hope is not a good thing. Hope is a good thing. She helped me set up a plan of action to deal with the problem. That gave me hope. That was all I needed. I did not have to go back for a second visit. One of my counseling professors said if a client has no hope one has to give them hope. For a person not to have hope is simply not okay. Hope is the only thing that stands between the individual and suicide. Or perhaps crime. Desperate situations call for desperate means...I'm thinking about this and I think it might be said that even crime could be taken as an indication that the individual retains a sense of hope. He/she hopes that illegal means will meet needs if legal means fail. Obviously, there are also other reasons for crime but this is one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oddmanout Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 For those of you who say hope is not a good thing. Hope is a good thing. She helped me set up a plan of action to deal with the problem. That gave me hope. That was all I needed. I did not have to go back for a second visit. One of my counseling professors said if a client has no hope one has to give them hope. For a person not to have hope is simply not okay. Hope is the only thing that stands between the individual and suicide. Or perhaps crime. Desperate situations call for desperate means...I'm thinking about this and I think it might be said that even crime could be taken as an indication that the individual retains a sense of hope. He/she hopes that illegal means will meet needs if legal means fail. Obviously, there are also other reasons for crime but this is one of them. Wow, this fuels a need to ponder even more. My therapy group either is amazed (or doesn't believe) at my total lack of hope (or goals? dreams? druthers?); I never used the word hope, but your sentence He/she hopes that illegal means will meet needs if legal means fail gives a powerful insight to my past actions. Therapy is showing me that hopelessness can shatter boundaries. I have found the safe way to exist was/is to not expect anything, because no hope of receiving it? My reactions upon entering the prison doors for 17 years was, "OK, now what?"; no fear or anxiety, just another event in a life (similar to my having heart surgery and subseqent complications). You've given me a reason to hope again . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 For those of you who say hope is not a good thing. Hope is a good thing. She helped me set up a plan of action to deal with the problem. That gave me hope. That was all I needed. I did not have to go back for a second visit. One of my counseling professors said if a client has no hope one has to give them hope. For a person not to have hope is simply not okay. Hope is the only thing that stands between the individual and suicide. Or perhaps crime. Desperate situations call for desperate means...I'm thinking about this and I think it might be said that even crime could be taken as an indication that the individual retains a sense of hope. He/she hopes that illegal means will meet needs if legal means fail. Obviously, there are also other reasons for crime but this is one of them. Wow, this fuels a need to ponder even more. My therapy group either is amazed (or doesn't believe) at my total lack of hope (or goals? dreams? druthers?); I never used the word hope, but your sentence He/she hopes that illegal means will meet needs if legal means fail gives a powerful insight to my past actions. Therapy is showing me that hopelessness can shatter boundaries. I have found the safe way to exist was/is to not expect anything, because no hope of receiving it? My reactions upon entering the prison doors for 17 years was, "OK, now what?"; no fear or anxiety, just another event in a life (similar to my having heart surgery and subseqent complications). You've given me a reason to hope again . Sir, this is the highest compliment a person could give me. Thank you. I myself have been in some pretty desperate situations this past year where fleeting thoughts passed through my mind of finding illegal means to get needs met if legal means fail. I didn't want to deal with the consequences and legal means were not exhausted. But I did get some insight on the matter that was new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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