The caption of this picture says:
"When everything seems to be going against you,
remember that
the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."
Henry Ford
Yesterday I posted before and after pictures of myself.
How did I finally lose so much weight and keep it off?
I did not give up.
Yes, that's it, that's really it. Did I lose the weight and gain it back? More times than I can count. Did I give up? No. I fought for my victory. I fought to be able to live life free of the endless hunger. Over and over I chanted with this prayer that I got from my dear mentor Kate Randolph:
"I don't care how many times I have to come back here and chant for this victory.
I don't CARE that it still feels impossible.
I will WIN!
I am the Buddha
I AM Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
I will win not just for me,
but for the sake of others who are suffering.
I will win. I will win. I will win."
And I took massive action. I tried diet after diet, scheme after scheme, exercise after exercise. And I will continue every day improving how I look and feel in my body. It is the only one I have. And I concluded that it must be my MISSION to use my victory to help others.
What karma do you have that you could turn into your mission? Once you make the change in your determination you will open the door to fresh energy and enthusiasm. You will not bemoan your fate but see it as the gift it it.
And every day we get the chance to begin anew.
"No matter what the circumstances,
you should never concede defeat.
Never conclude that you've reached a dead end,
that everything is finished.
You possess a glorious future.
Precisely because of that,
you must persevere and study.
Life is eternal.
We need to focus on the two existences
of the present and the future
and not get caught up in worry about the past.
We must always
have the spirit to begin anew
"from this moment,"
to initiate a new struggle each day.
Daisaku Ikeda
From Faith in Action Page 466.
Hi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteI'm facing a major crisis in my career & finance. My family has been chanting for years, but I've never felt the need to join them, perhaps because I was having a very smooth life journey in the past 40 years. Now that I'm facing this crisis, my family & friends all encouraged me to chant for high life condition, courage & wisdom. I started chanting last month. Initially it was tough, I felt so tired & sleepy after just 5 - 10 minutes. Now I can actually go on for 1 - 2 hours & still feel fresh after chanting. Now I wake up at 6.30 every morning, and chant for 1 hour before going to work. After dinner I will chant for at least another 1 hour, and before sleep as well. Although I'm still seeking a good solution to my problems, I feel so much at peace after chanting. Your daily postings have been a good inspiration & encouragement to me, they seem to be answering to my queries & worries, I feel so inspired each time after reading.
I've asked my mum whether I can chant for luck in lottery in order to solve my financial problems, but she said we shouldn't do that. Anyway, we will be able to find a good solution by chanting more daimoku, so I'm still hoping, and will never give up.
Thank you, Jamie! Please continue to write more, I'm really hungry for more.
MLK