Meditations on God

To Live Openly And Purposefully
Cynicism is an easy out.

Looking for the good in life, in people, and in our circumstances requires much more effort and intention.

A positive attitude and outlook must be cultivated, nourished, and maintained.

Cynicism, on the other hand, excuses us from trying.

It closes us off to possibility.

With optimism comes the potential for disappointment.

Cynicism offers no potential at all.

Cynicism is a decision to stop living altogether, accepting mere existence as a safer alternative.

Conversely, optimism is a decision to live openly and purposefully, accepting that to do so will often be painful and disappointing.

‘To Live Openly And Purposefully’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh

HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
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July 4, 2022

cynicism, openness, optimism, purpose
Consistency To Depth
Consistency helps us see our mistakes.

If we do not begin with consistency, we do not necessarily know the cause of our failure.

Being consistent enables us to determine what strategies and tactics are working and which are not.

Of course, being consistent in the wrong direction is unwise.

However, constantly varying our approach before we ever give ourselves the opportunity to fail will lead us nowhere worthwhile.

Success requires depth of knowledge, experience, and skill.

Consistency is the only way for us to acquire this type of depth.

Without it, we may scratch many surfaces, but we will never find a path that leads somewhere meaningful.

‘Consistency To Depth’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh

HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
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July 3, 2022

consistency, depth, journey, meaning, path, purpose
Love Is The Treasure
Follow the path and you may discover treasure beyond expectation.

One evening, my daughter came upstairs into my room and handed me a treasure map.

She pointed out where I was on the map and said if I followed the path she had drawn out, it would bring me to a treasure which was marked by an X.

Then she went back downstairs.

As I looked over the map, I saw that it was a drawing of our home with the path leading me to the dining room.

I carefully followed the path out of my room, down the hall, around the corner, down the stairs, through the living room, and to the dining room.

What I found there, where the X was clearly marked on the map, was my bright-smiled daughter sitting cross-legged atop the dining table (something we would normally discourage) holding a sign she had made while I was upstairs.

The colorfully decorated sign read simply, “Daddy, I love you.”

Love, as it turns out, is the treasure.

‘Love Is The Treasure’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh

HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
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July 2, 2022

journey, love, path, treasure
Why Over Why Not
If we are going to be successful, however we happen to define success for ourselves, our why has to be greater than our why not.

We can do something we do not want to do for a while, but if our underlying reason for doing this thing is not meaningful enough to us or our core purpose, our efforts will not be sustainable.

When things become to difficult, when we face too much resistance, or when we are exhausted, frustrated, or overwhelmed, our why is what carries us through.

Life will give us more than enough why nots.

Reasons to quit are plentiful and easy to come by.

We only need one good why, however, and this why is ours alone to discover, nourish, and protect as the rare and precious gift that it is.

‘Why Over Why Not’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh

HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too it is in Budo. As in Budo, so too it is in Life.
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July 1, 2022

meaning, purpose, start with why, success, why
Truth Demands Conflict
Giving in to others simply to avoid conflict puts us in conflict with ourselves.

We cannot please everyone else and ourselves simultaneously.

In most cases, acquiescing to the wants or demands of others in an attempt to make them happy, in spite of our own happiness, has the opposite affect on us.

It may prevent immediate conflict, but it leaves something unresolved inside of us and in our relationships.

This may feel small at first, but over time, it grows, eventually leading to even greater conflict.

This happens because acquiescence is a lie and dishonesty breeds animosity.

Even if we convince ourselves and others in this moment that we are happy to concede our position and willing to go along to get along, if we do not mean it, the truth will out.

The truth is unwilling to hide in the shadows of our beings forever.

Under the cover of darkness, the truth grows stronger, demanding to see the light of day.

Eventually, the truth begins cracking through our defenses and we must choose to either set it free or to be broken by it.

Neither choice will be pain free, however, as the former demands that we confront and transcend the conflict we have been avoiding and the latter forces us to live with that conflict inside of us forever.

‘Truth Demands Conflict’ by Robert Van Valkenburgh

HOLISTIC BUDO: As in Life, so too in Budo. As in Budo, so too in Life.
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June 30, 2022

acquiescence, conflict, light, shadows, truth

To Live Openly And Purposefully

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Consistency To Depth

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Love Is The Treasure

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Why Over Why Not

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Truth Demands Conflict

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