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Defining your target market is essential when you are setting up your business. It means you need to sort out who you are going to help, and how you are going to do that. Or who you are going to supply with what product.
And with any luck, your chosen target market, your decision who you are going to help and how you will go about doing that, coincides with the things you like best doing.
It seems that going through that process does have certain pitfalls.
For instance, it appears to be quite easy to first look at what you like doing best, and then focus on finding a target market for what you have to offer. And although this sounds like a good idea ~ and perhaps really is a good idea ~ the problem may be that you start focussing more on your need to do what you like to do, than on the needs of your target market.
When you look at an art like painting, there may be two types of painters. Those that paint ‘commercially’, and those that paint expressively. The first group will create paintings a client wants to have, the second group creates pieces of art out of the inner need for creative expression. And yet, both groups may define their target market in a similar manner; like art-loving, forty-something ‘two kids and a dog’ type clients.
At first glance, the first group seems more likely to be successful, as they are willing to supply their clients with what they feel suits them best. Yet, the second group may strike it big when their specific, inner self driven, creative expression hits a cord with, for instance, someone who is well known...
In reality, working with your target market may work best when all aspects come together in a balanced way. So what you do is something you like doing, or even something you have an inner drive to do ~ while you do it for people that really need what you have to offer. It means that while it can be tempting to only look at what you feel you want to do, you will have to observe the world around you in order to see what service or product the people ‘out there’ feel they need. In order to make your business successful, you will need to be flexible enough to adapt to what is needed in the market place.
I firmly believe that it is possible to build a successful business doing the things you like best doing. And in a sense, whether it is best to put your focus on the target market or on the inner drive to do what you like doing best is a ‘chicken and egg’ thing. Ultimately, both will need to come together in order for your business to work, and to bring you the fulfillment you need...
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Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Regaining Balance
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During times when a lot is going on in our lives, it is important to stay balanced. Not necessarily balanced with all the things that are going on, but balanced within ourselves. Centered, or even grounded.
This is something that is easier said than done!
It is also something that works differently for different people; there is no one recipe that works for everybody equally as well ~ although it does seem to be really important to not keep everything bottled up inside yourself; it is a good idea to do something to place it outside of yourself.
And there are guidelines as to what way might work best for you that are based on your astrological sun sign.
For ‘Air Signs’ (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) talking it out or writing it out, putting your thoughts to paper, may be a good way in which a potential overload situation is put outside of Self.
For ‘Fire Signs’ (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) walking ~ or dancing, or running ~ can be a suitable way to regain balance.
‘Water Signs’ (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) may want to write or make a drawing of whatever they feel has brought them to be overwhelmed.
And ‘Earth Signs’ (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) may be best off rebalancing themselves while sitting down with a cup of tea...
For me, being an ‘Earth Sign’, today is a day to sit down with a cup of tea.
After a couple of really busy months, it is time to sit back, to take a deep breath, a cup of tea, and to regain my balance. To center again in the core of my Self so that I can evaluate whether my time and energy has been spent productively...
For instance, have my activities over the past months brought me closer to my goals? Or have I just been ‘putting out fires’, while every time I solved a problem another situation came up to take its place? Have I burned the candle on both ends, spinning my wheels, without ever getting closer to my goals ~ let alone getting closer to fulfilling my dreams and desires?
Those are questions we probably should look at every once in a while.
Because taking an honest look at where we are applying our time and energy allows us to see the direction we are going. If we like which direction we are going, a couple of really busy months are just that ~ and likely they have brought us closer to our goals.
If we don’t like the direction we are going, or if we feel like we are treading water, it is time to see what we can do differently in order to get moving in any direction we desire to go!
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.
During times when a lot is going on in our lives, it is important to stay balanced. Not necessarily balanced with all the things that are going on, but balanced within ourselves. Centered, or even grounded.
This is something that is easier said than done!
It is also something that works differently for different people; there is no one recipe that works for everybody equally as well ~ although it does seem to be really important to not keep everything bottled up inside yourself; it is a good idea to do something to place it outside of yourself.
And there are guidelines as to what way might work best for you that are based on your astrological sun sign.
For ‘Air Signs’ (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) talking it out or writing it out, putting your thoughts to paper, may be a good way in which a potential overload situation is put outside of Self.
For ‘Fire Signs’ (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) walking ~ or dancing, or running ~ can be a suitable way to regain balance.
‘Water Signs’ (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) may want to write or make a drawing of whatever they feel has brought them to be overwhelmed.
And ‘Earth Signs’ (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) may be best off rebalancing themselves while sitting down with a cup of tea...
For me, being an ‘Earth Sign’, today is a day to sit down with a cup of tea.
After a couple of really busy months, it is time to sit back, to take a deep breath, a cup of tea, and to regain my balance. To center again in the core of my Self so that I can evaluate whether my time and energy has been spent productively...
For instance, have my activities over the past months brought me closer to my goals? Or have I just been ‘putting out fires’, while every time I solved a problem another situation came up to take its place? Have I burned the candle on both ends, spinning my wheels, without ever getting closer to my goals ~ let alone getting closer to fulfilling my dreams and desires?
Those are questions we probably should look at every once in a while.
Because taking an honest look at where we are applying our time and energy allows us to see the direction we are going. If we like which direction we are going, a couple of really busy months are just that ~ and likely they have brought us closer to our goals.
If we don’t like the direction we are going, or if we feel like we are treading water, it is time to see what we can do differently in order to get moving in any direction we desire to go!
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Waiting Rooms
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Waiting rooms, no matter where they are or what they are for, all have similar energies. On one hand there is a sense of anticipation, while on the other hand there is an apprehensiveness, maybe even a fear... And there is always boredom.
The magazines on the table are usually old ~ sometimes even so old that they are not telling yesterday’s news, but tend to resemble a history lesson... And when you find yourself in a situation that you come to visit the same waiting room on a number of occasions, you may find little changes from one visit to the next.
Granted, some waiting rooms are way better equipped than others. My dentists waiting room, for instance, is a light and open area, it has two big flat-screens on the wall; one with the European news, the other with some documentary. And the magazines are fairly recent and change often.
Still it sparks this feeling of boredom, the idea that there are better things I can do with my time then being there.
Whether the waiting rooms are in doctor’s or dentist’s offices, in city hall, or even the post office (as it has a tendency to resemble a waiting room more often than not) we have a need to be there. To keep our appointment, to get some business taken care off ~ there always is a pressing reason for us to be there, in that waiting room, being bored.
Now, the spiritual perspective says that we create the events we experience in our lives.
The most obvious was in which we create this specific event of waiting in a waiting room is because we made an appointment. And we are there awaiting the time of our appointment. And when everything goes smoothly, the door opens at exactly the time we made the appointment for, and we are called in.
But sometimes, the expected single visit turns into a series of visits ~ and therefore a series of waits. We have a perfectly good reason for being there, yet even when everybody is on time, it becomes a bit of a drag.
Another way to look at it is that events like this reflect a part of our lives.
That we create this type of events subconsciously, because we are anticipating things to come into our lives, but it is not the right timing yet ~ like a trip or vacation.
Or because in some aspect of our lives we feel bored, or even apprehensive.
If the latter is the case, it bears the question: What in our lives are we waiting for?
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Waiting rooms, no matter where they are or what they are for, all have similar energies. On one hand there is a sense of anticipation, while on the other hand there is an apprehensiveness, maybe even a fear... And there is always boredom.
The magazines on the table are usually old ~ sometimes even so old that they are not telling yesterday’s news, but tend to resemble a history lesson... And when you find yourself in a situation that you come to visit the same waiting room on a number of occasions, you may find little changes from one visit to the next.
Granted, some waiting rooms are way better equipped than others. My dentists waiting room, for instance, is a light and open area, it has two big flat-screens on the wall; one with the European news, the other with some documentary. And the magazines are fairly recent and change often.
Still it sparks this feeling of boredom, the idea that there are better things I can do with my time then being there.
Whether the waiting rooms are in doctor’s or dentist’s offices, in city hall, or even the post office (as it has a tendency to resemble a waiting room more often than not) we have a need to be there. To keep our appointment, to get some business taken care off ~ there always is a pressing reason for us to be there, in that waiting room, being bored.
Now, the spiritual perspective says that we create the events we experience in our lives.
The most obvious was in which we create this specific event of waiting in a waiting room is because we made an appointment. And we are there awaiting the time of our appointment. And when everything goes smoothly, the door opens at exactly the time we made the appointment for, and we are called in.
But sometimes, the expected single visit turns into a series of visits ~ and therefore a series of waits. We have a perfectly good reason for being there, yet even when everybody is on time, it becomes a bit of a drag.
Another way to look at it is that events like this reflect a part of our lives.
That we create this type of events subconsciously, because we are anticipating things to come into our lives, but it is not the right timing yet ~ like a trip or vacation.
Or because in some aspect of our lives we feel bored, or even apprehensive.
If the latter is the case, it bears the question: What in our lives are we waiting for?
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Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Time
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All my clocks but two were stopped this morning. It took me a while to catch on to that fact (I’m not a ‘morning person’).
As I woke up, my alarm clock was flashing due to a short power outage that had occurred. A bit alarmed I went to the clock in my work room, only to find that the ‘seconds-arm’ was making its last feeble attempts to move at all - the time stuck at 7.15... AM or PM ~ no idea... The next clock, the one in the bathroom that worked fine yesterday, had even given up on its last attempts on keeping time at 8.45
The clock in the living room was still dutifully ticking the seconds away, showing that 8.45 AM indeed was the right time.
A sigh of relief. Not too late to get things done and to make it to my appointments for the day in time.
It made me think though ~ how much of our lives are ruled by keeping time. The appointments we set up with others rely on being there on time. But there are also the times in our day that are our anchors; divisions between one activity and another, like ‘dinner time’, time to watch the ten o’clock news, etc.
Somehow, keeping track of time gives us a sense of control over our busy lives.
As long as we are in time, there is order and structure in our lives.
To maintain this structure, we set aside time to perform our chores, we make time to visit friends, we loose time when we get stuck in heavy traffic, we run out of time as a deadline approaches... Time has become the measuring stick with which we measure the amount of control we have over our lives.
At the same time, time itself has a fleeting aspect to it. When we have all the time in the world, it tends to disappear like sand running through our fingers. Time doesn’t seem a constant, it can stretch and move ~ when we are doing something that inspires us, time seems to go much faster than when we are doing something we really don’t like doing all that much.
And at some point we ask ourselves, where did the time go?
Yet time is.
In some sense there are only three points in time that have importance: the past, this moment, and the future.
The past is the path that has brought us where we are now, in this moment. The future is the direction our minds are going in order to shape and form the moment we are in...
Dwelling on the past is unproductive ~ could-have-beens and would-have-beens are bygones.
Worrying or doubting about things in our future is unproductive as this takes our awareness away from the moment that is ‘now’.
When we surrender control and allow ourselves to be in this moment as it unfolds, we shift into universal structure. And chances are, we are right on time!
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.
All my clocks but two were stopped this morning. It took me a while to catch on to that fact (I’m not a ‘morning person’).
As I woke up, my alarm clock was flashing due to a short power outage that had occurred. A bit alarmed I went to the clock in my work room, only to find that the ‘seconds-arm’ was making its last feeble attempts to move at all - the time stuck at 7.15... AM or PM ~ no idea... The next clock, the one in the bathroom that worked fine yesterday, had even given up on its last attempts on keeping time at 8.45
The clock in the living room was still dutifully ticking the seconds away, showing that 8.45 AM indeed was the right time.
A sigh of relief. Not too late to get things done and to make it to my appointments for the day in time.
It made me think though ~ how much of our lives are ruled by keeping time. The appointments we set up with others rely on being there on time. But there are also the times in our day that are our anchors; divisions between one activity and another, like ‘dinner time’, time to watch the ten o’clock news, etc.
Somehow, keeping track of time gives us a sense of control over our busy lives.
As long as we are in time, there is order and structure in our lives.
To maintain this structure, we set aside time to perform our chores, we make time to visit friends, we loose time when we get stuck in heavy traffic, we run out of time as a deadline approaches... Time has become the measuring stick with which we measure the amount of control we have over our lives.
At the same time, time itself has a fleeting aspect to it. When we have all the time in the world, it tends to disappear like sand running through our fingers. Time doesn’t seem a constant, it can stretch and move ~ when we are doing something that inspires us, time seems to go much faster than when we are doing something we really don’t like doing all that much.
And at some point we ask ourselves, where did the time go?
Yet time is.
In some sense there are only three points in time that have importance: the past, this moment, and the future.
The past is the path that has brought us where we are now, in this moment. The future is the direction our minds are going in order to shape and form the moment we are in...
Dwelling on the past is unproductive ~ could-have-beens and would-have-beens are bygones.
Worrying or doubting about things in our future is unproductive as this takes our awareness away from the moment that is ‘now’.
When we surrender control and allow ourselves to be in this moment as it unfolds, we shift into universal structure. And chances are, we are right on time!
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Friday, October 15, 2010
‘Doing’ or ‘Being’
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In our world today we have a tendency to be so caught up in all the things we need to do ~ work, family, social calls etc. ~ that we may forget who we really are; to be ourselves.
Not only does the focus tend to be on our expression in the world around us, it can make us feel that what we experience is not enough. Not enough work, not enough money, not enough happiness, love, fun, projects... The list can go on and on.
Often, our immediate excuse is that we can’t afford those things that would give us meaningful experiences ~ however, when we really start looking at what we can do that don’t cost us anything (or very little) there are all kinds of things we can do even today! Things around the house ~ like rearranging the furniture to change the energy of the room. Or a walk in the park. Calling a friend...
Another excuse is that we are too busy to to do these things. There is work, and a whole list of things to be done ~ therefore there is no time to take a walk in the park. And would we still take time to go to the park instead of doing the things ‘we should be doing’, chances are that we will feel guilty about it...
While we are focused on all the things we can do, and are doing in a day ~ we may be forgetting to be ourselves. We may even loose track of who we really are; of our desires, our needs, our dreams. Of the things we have to offer to the world, not as much by doing things, but more by being who we are ~ being who we are meant to be. And expressing that to ourselves and to the world around us.
We may get the feeling that we are not enough. That we are not accomplishing enough, not helping others enough. That we ourselves, what we do or have to say, aren’t worth enough...
Focusing on being who we really are, being ourselves, doesn’t take away any of the things we do in a day, a week, a month... Yet when doing these things is based in the foundation of a healthy relationship with ourselves, we tend to be more efficient in getting the things that are important to us done. Also, there is a good chance that we keep an eye on the things we need and desire in life ~ rather than just taking care of everybody else.
Looking at it that way, it is not about ‘doing or being’ ~ it is about ‘being and doing’.
To truly be ourselves, and to do the things that are really important to us.
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In our world today we have a tendency to be so caught up in all the things we need to do ~ work, family, social calls etc. ~ that we may forget who we really are; to be ourselves.
Not only does the focus tend to be on our expression in the world around us, it can make us feel that what we experience is not enough. Not enough work, not enough money, not enough happiness, love, fun, projects... The list can go on and on.
Often, our immediate excuse is that we can’t afford those things that would give us meaningful experiences ~ however, when we really start looking at what we can do that don’t cost us anything (or very little) there are all kinds of things we can do even today! Things around the house ~ like rearranging the furniture to change the energy of the room. Or a walk in the park. Calling a friend...
Another excuse is that we are too busy to to do these things. There is work, and a whole list of things to be done ~ therefore there is no time to take a walk in the park. And would we still take time to go to the park instead of doing the things ‘we should be doing’, chances are that we will feel guilty about it...
While we are focused on all the things we can do, and are doing in a day ~ we may be forgetting to be ourselves. We may even loose track of who we really are; of our desires, our needs, our dreams. Of the things we have to offer to the world, not as much by doing things, but more by being who we are ~ being who we are meant to be. And expressing that to ourselves and to the world around us.
We may get the feeling that we are not enough. That we are not accomplishing enough, not helping others enough. That we ourselves, what we do or have to say, aren’t worth enough...
Focusing on being who we really are, being ourselves, doesn’t take away any of the things we do in a day, a week, a month... Yet when doing these things is based in the foundation of a healthy relationship with ourselves, we tend to be more efficient in getting the things that are important to us done. Also, there is a good chance that we keep an eye on the things we need and desire in life ~ rather than just taking care of everybody else.
Looking at it that way, it is not about ‘doing or being’ ~ it is about ‘being and doing’.
To truly be ourselves, and to do the things that are really important to us.
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Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Higher Standard
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I believe that in this day and age, especially when we are walking a spiritual path, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Even while most of us are law-abiding, productive citizens ~ there still seems to be room for improvement, ways in which we can become even better individuals.
Let me ask you some questions...
Are you an honest person?
If you answer that with ‘yes’, does that mean that you don’t tell lies? Not even little white lies? Or does that mean that you are always so honest and straightforward that there is no room for diplomacy? Does that mean that you are, apart from being honest to others, also honest to yourself? All the time?
Are you trustworthy?
Again, if you answer ‘yes’, does that mean that you always say what’s up, without resorting to manipulation (on occasion)? Does that mean that you really never gossip? That the things told in confidence are really safe with you? And do you trust yourself enough to know that what ever comes up in your life, you will be able to handle it?
Are you peaceful?
If you say ‘yes’ again, does that mean that you, whenever you get angry, you immediately handle whatever made you angry, without holding onto the anger ~ to be able to restore the peace as quickly as possible? Do you find peace within yourself? Do you spread peace to others?
Three simple questions that are very easy to answer with ‘yes’. And yet it is so easy to then come up with the excuse that ‘everybody tells a little white lie, every once in a while’. Or ‘but I only told my best friend...’. And even ‘I am really angry, but they had it coming!’
And what about those three questions from a very personal, even inner perspective?
For me, in all reality, I probably should answer these questions with: ‘I am mostly honest, I am fairly trustworthy, and I try to be peaceful.’
And I know, that if I measure myself to a higher standard in regarding these three things, I almost certainly would become a more spiritual person. Learn my lessons with more grace. Complain less and be more positive. Not necessarily because the world around me changes, but because my perspectives change to a more inner, spiritual world.
Living to a higher standard gives us the opportunity to find the things we want in life, the things we often look for outside of us, inside of ourselves. And while it may take a while to get the hang of it, the better we get at it, the easier it becomes to accept ourselves, to see ourselves as good, honorable people on a spiritual path.
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I believe that in this day and age, especially when we are walking a spiritual path, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Even while most of us are law-abiding, productive citizens ~ there still seems to be room for improvement, ways in which we can become even better individuals.
Let me ask you some questions...
Are you an honest person?
If you answer that with ‘yes’, does that mean that you don’t tell lies? Not even little white lies? Or does that mean that you are always so honest and straightforward that there is no room for diplomacy? Does that mean that you are, apart from being honest to others, also honest to yourself? All the time?
Are you trustworthy?
Again, if you answer ‘yes’, does that mean that you always say what’s up, without resorting to manipulation (on occasion)? Does that mean that you really never gossip? That the things told in confidence are really safe with you? And do you trust yourself enough to know that what ever comes up in your life, you will be able to handle it?
Are you peaceful?
If you say ‘yes’ again, does that mean that you, whenever you get angry, you immediately handle whatever made you angry, without holding onto the anger ~ to be able to restore the peace as quickly as possible? Do you find peace within yourself? Do you spread peace to others?
Three simple questions that are very easy to answer with ‘yes’. And yet it is so easy to then come up with the excuse that ‘everybody tells a little white lie, every once in a while’. Or ‘but I only told my best friend...’. And even ‘I am really angry, but they had it coming!’
And what about those three questions from a very personal, even inner perspective?
For me, in all reality, I probably should answer these questions with: ‘I am mostly honest, I am fairly trustworthy, and I try to be peaceful.’
And I know, that if I measure myself to a higher standard in regarding these three things, I almost certainly would become a more spiritual person. Learn my lessons with more grace. Complain less and be more positive. Not necessarily because the world around me changes, but because my perspectives change to a more inner, spiritual world.
Living to a higher standard gives us the opportunity to find the things we want in life, the things we often look for outside of us, inside of ourselves. And while it may take a while to get the hang of it, the better we get at it, the easier it becomes to accept ourselves, to see ourselves as good, honorable people on a spiritual path.
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Friday, October 8, 2010
Karma
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The best explanation of ‘karma’ I have found is that karma is the universal law of cause and effect in action. This means that when your cause is ‘good’, when what you are doing is the right thing ~ good will come to you.
Now, as this is an universal law, the way the good things come back to you is not always straightforward. As it turns out, it may come back to you in totally surprising ways, at an unexpected time and place ~ without any obvious relation to your original actions.
The same is true when your actions have been less than honorable. In the short term, you may have received an advantage because of your actions, or the manner in which you have conducted yourself. In the long term, the law of cause and effect may present you with opportunities to correct your actions or behavior ~ often in ways we experience as unpleasant.
This perspective on karma implies that karma is not just active form one life experience to the next, but is also at play within the life experience, or incarnation you are in at the moment.
Going back to the universal law of cause and effect, which says that every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause ~ it seems to add up to a fairly simple guideline for our lives.
What goes around, comes around...
So if we are honest, fair, and trustworthy ~ intent on doing ‘the right thing’, then good things will come to us. While if we push the moral envelope and get ahead to the detriment of others ~ retribution will knock on our door before long. Right?
Well, yeah...
However, from our human perspective, it may still seem that it pays to push the moral envelop. Sometimes those who are truly honorable, seem to be viewed as ‘suckers’ that are easily taken advantage of.
When that happens, from a universal perspective, the most ‘good’ it may have to offer is for the honorable person to learn to stand up for themselves in an ethical manner ~ which in turn means that we don’t have to overly concern ourselves with the person we felt was taking advantage of us in the first place.
The law of cause and effect will eventually catch up with them.
So if we do choose to use the law of cause and effect as a guide in our lives ~ and if we aim to become ever more honorable, ethical people; the ‘good’ in our lives may not come as riches. It may come in the realization that we are at the right place a the right time, as a feeling of happiness, a sense of peace...
The universe is wiser than we are, and karma is perfect.
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.
The best explanation of ‘karma’ I have found is that karma is the universal law of cause and effect in action. This means that when your cause is ‘good’, when what you are doing is the right thing ~ good will come to you.
Now, as this is an universal law, the way the good things come back to you is not always straightforward. As it turns out, it may come back to you in totally surprising ways, at an unexpected time and place ~ without any obvious relation to your original actions.
The same is true when your actions have been less than honorable. In the short term, you may have received an advantage because of your actions, or the manner in which you have conducted yourself. In the long term, the law of cause and effect may present you with opportunities to correct your actions or behavior ~ often in ways we experience as unpleasant.
This perspective on karma implies that karma is not just active form one life experience to the next, but is also at play within the life experience, or incarnation you are in at the moment.
Going back to the universal law of cause and effect, which says that every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause ~ it seems to add up to a fairly simple guideline for our lives.
What goes around, comes around...
So if we are honest, fair, and trustworthy ~ intent on doing ‘the right thing’, then good things will come to us. While if we push the moral envelope and get ahead to the detriment of others ~ retribution will knock on our door before long. Right?
Well, yeah...
However, from our human perspective, it may still seem that it pays to push the moral envelop. Sometimes those who are truly honorable, seem to be viewed as ‘suckers’ that are easily taken advantage of.
When that happens, from a universal perspective, the most ‘good’ it may have to offer is for the honorable person to learn to stand up for themselves in an ethical manner ~ which in turn means that we don’t have to overly concern ourselves with the person we felt was taking advantage of us in the first place.
The law of cause and effect will eventually catch up with them.
So if we do choose to use the law of cause and effect as a guide in our lives ~ and if we aim to become ever more honorable, ethical people; the ‘good’ in our lives may not come as riches. It may come in the realization that we are at the right place a the right time, as a feeling of happiness, a sense of peace...
The universe is wiser than we are, and karma is perfect.
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Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Morals and Ethics...
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Lets first visit the dictionary and see what it says about morals, ethics and the similarity and difference between the two...
Morals: concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character
Ethics: a set of moral principles, esp. ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct
< You can be an ethical person without necessarily being a moral one, since ethical implies conformity with a code of fair and honest behavior, particularly in business or in a profession (: an ethical legislator who didn't believe in cutting deals), while moral refers to generally accepted standards of goodness and rightness in character and conduct—especially sexual conduct (: the moral values she'd learned from her mother).
In the same way, you can be honorable without necessarily being virtuous, since honorable suggests dealing with others in a decent and ethical manner, while virtuous implies the possession of moral excellence in character (: many honorable businesspeople fail to live a virtuous private life). >
So far for the dictionary.
It does bring up an interesting perspective though, as it says that while obeying the law is moral, there may be an even higher ethical standard we can follow, which might be different than what is written in the letter of the law.
For instance, when a law is bend to a use it was never intended for. The law is still followed and therefore what happens may be morally right, yet its intent is lost, which can make the outcome ethically wrong.
Looking around me in the world today, it seems to me that the gap between morals and ethics is growing wider. It seems that the “generally accepted standards of goodness and rightness in character and conduct” are slowly sliding to a lower level as it becomes acceptable to tell the little white lie, the lie by omission ~ as it becomes an accepted practice to manipulate people into the direction you want them to go; and when ‘politics’ are expected to be prevalent in pretty much any meeting with others.
We may view ourselves as honorable people. This implies that we are fair and honest toward others and not in the least to ourselves ~ independent of our role in the situation at hand. The honorable thing to do when you could have done better, is to say so ~ even if you are just telling yourself. Having recognized that there is room for improvement, chances are the next time you will do better! And when you were wrong, especially when someone else has suffered damages because of it ~ the honorable thing to do is to confess and pay the price...
Yet, it seems the moral thing to do is to see how you can get away with it; preferably legally.
And the spiritual perspective?
I would say it in three words: Karma is perfect.
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Lets first visit the dictionary and see what it says about morals, ethics and the similarity and difference between the two...
Morals: concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character
Ethics: a set of moral principles, esp. ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct
< You can be an ethical person without necessarily being a moral one, since ethical implies conformity with a code of fair and honest behavior, particularly in business or in a profession (: an ethical legislator who didn't believe in cutting deals), while moral refers to generally accepted standards of goodness and rightness in character and conduct—especially sexual conduct (: the moral values she'd learned from her mother).
In the same way, you can be honorable without necessarily being virtuous, since honorable suggests dealing with others in a decent and ethical manner, while virtuous implies the possession of moral excellence in character (: many honorable businesspeople fail to live a virtuous private life). >
So far for the dictionary.
It does bring up an interesting perspective though, as it says that while obeying the law is moral, there may be an even higher ethical standard we can follow, which might be different than what is written in the letter of the law.
For instance, when a law is bend to a use it was never intended for. The law is still followed and therefore what happens may be morally right, yet its intent is lost, which can make the outcome ethically wrong.
Looking around me in the world today, it seems to me that the gap between morals and ethics is growing wider. It seems that the “generally accepted standards of goodness and rightness in character and conduct” are slowly sliding to a lower level as it becomes acceptable to tell the little white lie, the lie by omission ~ as it becomes an accepted practice to manipulate people into the direction you want them to go; and when ‘politics’ are expected to be prevalent in pretty much any meeting with others.
We may view ourselves as honorable people. This implies that we are fair and honest toward others and not in the least to ourselves ~ independent of our role in the situation at hand. The honorable thing to do when you could have done better, is to say so ~ even if you are just telling yourself. Having recognized that there is room for improvement, chances are the next time you will do better! And when you were wrong, especially when someone else has suffered damages because of it ~ the honorable thing to do is to confess and pay the price...
Yet, it seems the moral thing to do is to see how you can get away with it; preferably legally.
And the spiritual perspective?
I would say it in three words: Karma is perfect.
.
.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Luggage
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Although luggage is mostly referred to as the suitcases we carry to our vacation destinations, in more general terms it is literally the ‘stuff’ we are lugging around with us.
Question is, how much of that which we are lugging around with us is actually useful to us?
This question holds true for material possessions we may have as well as for things that take up less space, like attitudes, perspectives, life-styles ~ and even the things we were taught; the things we learned along the way are not automatically things we want to stick with...
The rule of thumb that says that when you haven’t used an item for a year, it has lost its usefulness to you and is now just taking up space works for many people who seek to determine what possessions to keep, and which to get rid of. Of course there are certain seasonal items for which you may want to extend that time frame. On the other hand, there are also things that were nice at the time ~ but never had a real use...
This makes it relatively easy to see which of our possessions are essential to our (quality of) life, and which are not ~ what things we need on a day to day basis, and what items we are lugging around with us.
It is much harder to determine what is helping us and what is hindering us when we look at things like values (which we often inherit from our parents), our attitudes, perspectives, life-styles etc. ~ yet it is looking at these things that is all the more interesting!
What are the attitudes we have? Where did they come from? Were we taught the things that have become our attitudes? Are these attitudes helping us or hindering us? Do they lift us up, or weigh us down? And if they are weighing us down; then why are we lugging them around with us?
The reality is that all of us are lugging ‘stuff’ around with us ~ some more than others ~ but no-one seems to be exempt. And most of it is there because we haven’t taken the time to really take a look at whether an attitude is realistic, is helping us or is getting in our way.
The luggage we take along on our vacations, whether it is a lot of luggage or only hand luggage, gets unpacked after we get back from our trip ~ after it has served its purpose...
It would serve us to do the same thing with the non-physical luggage we are lugging around with us ~ to, every once in a while, take some time to unpack and see if it is something we want to keep, or is there is a chance we rather get rid of it...
.
.
Although luggage is mostly referred to as the suitcases we carry to our vacation destinations, in more general terms it is literally the ‘stuff’ we are lugging around with us.
Question is, how much of that which we are lugging around with us is actually useful to us?
This question holds true for material possessions we may have as well as for things that take up less space, like attitudes, perspectives, life-styles ~ and even the things we were taught; the things we learned along the way are not automatically things we want to stick with...
The rule of thumb that says that when you haven’t used an item for a year, it has lost its usefulness to you and is now just taking up space works for many people who seek to determine what possessions to keep, and which to get rid of. Of course there are certain seasonal items for which you may want to extend that time frame. On the other hand, there are also things that were nice at the time ~ but never had a real use...
This makes it relatively easy to see which of our possessions are essential to our (quality of) life, and which are not ~ what things we need on a day to day basis, and what items we are lugging around with us.
It is much harder to determine what is helping us and what is hindering us when we look at things like values (which we often inherit from our parents), our attitudes, perspectives, life-styles etc. ~ yet it is looking at these things that is all the more interesting!
What are the attitudes we have? Where did they come from? Were we taught the things that have become our attitudes? Are these attitudes helping us or hindering us? Do they lift us up, or weigh us down? And if they are weighing us down; then why are we lugging them around with us?
The reality is that all of us are lugging ‘stuff’ around with us ~ some more than others ~ but no-one seems to be exempt. And most of it is there because we haven’t taken the time to really take a look at whether an attitude is realistic, is helping us or is getting in our way.
The luggage we take along on our vacations, whether it is a lot of luggage or only hand luggage, gets unpacked after we get back from our trip ~ after it has served its purpose...
It would serve us to do the same thing with the non-physical luggage we are lugging around with us ~ to, every once in a while, take some time to unpack and see if it is something we want to keep, or is there is a chance we rather get rid of it...
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