#postaday (Relax. No pressure!)
#peaceHI
Three times I saw His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his visit to Hawaii. Well, sort of. The first and last times I saw his entourage. Today it was while we were on our way to work. A fortunate turn of events so that we were later than usual! And earlier it was when I was on my bicycle Sunday morning. There were the blue lights and procession of gleaming, big, black, and macho hunks of Detroit loaded with big guys in sunglasses and ear pieces watching everything, everywhere, to protect this sweet, darling, funny, little guy. I mean, really. This guy is ADORABLE. Why isn’t there a line of Dalai Lama dolls? Maybe because it would be like having little idols of him all over the place and that might not be good for karmic value or humility. And yes, he’s quite humble. He’s quite happy. Who wouldn’t be? If Pierre Omidyar dialed me up and said, “Paula, I’m sending my jet over. Hop on and come on over and talk to my friends?” I’d be on that jet and I’d be happy. Really happy.
Since that won’t happen, I’ll work on spreading some happiness from this little wedge of real estate on the Internet. And I’ll be humble and relaxed and have fun with it. Why? Because when I went to hear His Holiness speak on Sunday, that’s what he told me and thousands of others here in Hawaii fortunate enough to get a glimpse and hear his wisdom.
What were my take aways?
“Instinctively, we desire to have a happy life.”
“Prosperity comes through action, not prayer.”
“Too much stress and anxiety develops frustration. Anxiety, helplessness, destructive emotions such as anger and hatred are mainly mental. Train your mind to develop a proper mental attitude. Decisions made under strong emotions are usually wrong.”
“Counter measure trouble making with a calm mind. Find their weak points, then take action to counter measure. Any action must be realistic. Have the willpower to talk, to know their reality, to find peace.”
“Experiment in your own mind to become a positive force. Try to find solutions through mutually agreeable ways.”
“Forgiveness. Forget. Let go. Forget.” 
“We cannot see all aspects from one angle. Get clarity. Analyze reality. Things are relative.”
If you know me personally, if you work with me, if you’re related to me, or if you’re a close friend, then you know I should be letting all of this soak in. I clench too much. I get tense. I let my imagination create scenarios where I’m always the victim. I know these things. I know I need to unlearn being the victim, and throw off this persecution complex that pocked my mental armor when I was a child. Sometimes I feel as though I am beyond repair.
I’m always striving, but always feeling like I’m falling short. I try too hard to please everyone, and that’s impossible. I’m raising two daughters, and I don’t drill them with the same mantra I grew up with, all these negatives that indicate my unworthiness. I know how not to raise them.
Lavagal 