Summary

Lori Carlson shares her 10 personal philosophies that guide her daily life, emphasizing the importance of having a set of core beliefs for personal growth and resilience.

Abstract

The article by Lori Carlson, titled "10 Personal Philosophies," outlines the core principles that she uses to navigate her life, particularly during challenging times. She emphasizes the belief that everything happens for a reason, advocates for positivity and gratitude, and stresses the significance of passion, love, and laughter in daily living. Carlson also discusses the value of stillness for reflection and creativity, the necessity of perseverance in the face of life's difficulties, and the concept of abundance as a state of being. Drawing from her experiences with therapy, mindfulness, and spirituality, she encourages readers to find their own middle path and to embrace the simple yet profound truth of existence, "I AM." The article serves as a personal testament to the power of self-affirming philosophies in cultivating a meaningful and reflective life.

Opinions

Carlson believes that having personal truths is crucial for maintaining calm and perspective amidst life's turbulence.
She advocates for distancing oneself from negative influences, including self-doubt, and suggests using affirmations to combat it.
The act of counting blessings and expressing gratitude is seen as a transformative practice that has helped Carlson overcome suicidal thoughts and depression.
Being still and listening is valued as a way to connect with one's inner self, the divine, and creative inspiration.
Carlson is inspired by Dr. Wayne Dyer's quote to live passionately, seeing it as a way to align one's actions with true desires.
She emphasizes the importance of love, laughter, and mindfulness in overcoming periods of depression.
The philosophy of abundance reflects her belief in the unlimited capacity for love and connection with the universe and others.
Embracing the middle path is about finding balance and avoiding extremes, drawing from principles of Buddhism and Taoism.
The statement "I AM" is considered the most profound of her philosophies, representing existence, worth, and potential.
Carlson hopes to inspire others to develop their own set of personal philosophies through introspection and self-discovery.

ARTICLES | SPIRITUAL GROWTH | LIFE LESSONS

10 Personal Philosophies

Guidance for my everyday life

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay

I am a firm believer in having a set of beliefs, personal truths or philosophies to guide me. Whenever my life becomes turbulent, I can refer back to these truths and my world becomes calm once again. This has especially been useful these days as “fake news” and untruths — even blatant lies — are prevalent in our society.

So here are the 10 Personal Philosophies that guide my everyday life:

Everything happens for a reason.

Yes, I know this is somewhat a cliche, but for me, it is a deep and profound truth. If I didn’t have a strong belief in this, I would be living a life filled with regrets. However, knowing that there is a reason or purpose for everything that has happened in my life keeps me from blaming others and feeling shame for mistakes I’ve made.

2. Life is too short to let negative people rent space in my head — including my own self-doubt.

This was the hardest of all my personal philosophies to master. I’ve always known this to be true, but I’d lived with self-doubt for so long, that I didn’t recognize my own negativity nor how often I was allowing other negative people to affect me. It took years of therapy to finally embrace this truth, but now that I have, the first question I ask when I am in contact with others is: “Is this person lifting me up or tearing me down?” If it is the latter, I run from that person as fast I can, even if it means leaving family and friends behind. And if it is my own self-doubt, it’s time for some inspiring affirmations to replace it.

3. Every day I count my blessings and give gratitude for those blessings.

I haven’t always embraced this truth; in fact, it is a relatively new one on my list. Back before late 2012, I was consumed with suicidal thoughts and had even made several attempts to end my own life. In late 2012, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Suddenly, I wanted to live. Suicide was no longer an option for me. Since my recovery, I have kept a daily gratitude journal. And even though I still have moments of melancholia, I can read over my journal and remember all the moments, people and things that have blessed me.

4. Be still and listen.

There is beauty in being still and it sounds like a simple truth, but what does it mean? For some, it is the ultimate achievement of meditation. For others, it is the moment after a prayer, waiting for the Divine to answer. For me, it is both of those, as well as being still and listening for that creative spark — a visit from one of my muses. This is also a time for discernment, for only when you are still and silently listening can your heart tell you truths.

5. Do everything with passion.

“Don’t die with the music still in you.” — Dr. Wayne Dyer

Years ago when I read Dr. Wayne Dyer’s quote, the philosophy of doing everything with passion popped onto my list. Although Dr. Dyer’s quote is about doing all the things you’ve wanted to do before you die, I also interpreted it to mean do everything passionately. I truly believe if I do everything with passion, then it will also be those things that I desperately want to do. Even if it is a mundane job, if I am enthusiastic while there, it will make the time go by faster — and then I can get on with the things I really want to do.

6. Love, Laugh and Linger.

As someone who suffers from depression periodically, this truth has become one of my go-tos often. These three actions are reminders to me when my life feels very dark. I sometimes have to remind myself to love myself and others, to laugh often and to slow down, linger a while in the moment. Thanks to this one powerful philosophy, I rarely remain depressed for long these days.

7. Life is hard; keep showing up anyway.

I think this truth is a combination of phrases I’ve heard from others, but it has become a mainstay in my life. Every time I feel like giving up, I remember this truth. Every time things seem impossible, I remember this truth. It encourages me to keep trying, even if I fail a dozen times and to learn from each failure.

8. I am abundance!

This truth came to me in the form of an affirmation many moons ago. It is a reminder that I have abundant love to give — that I am one with Mother Earth, the Universe and every single being on this planet. It also reminds me of the love the Divine has for me.

9. I am the Middle Path.

For most of my life, I lived in extremes — sometimes too far to the right or the left, depending on how the pendulum swung (i.e. my mood swings). About a decade ago, one of my therapist suggested that I try Mindfulness as a means of therapy. From there, I began studying Buddhism and Taoism. I began to realize that what I needed in my life was a pathway between extremes — to carve out my own pass through the forest of life. I quite enjoy being a fence-sitter now.

10. And finally, simply — I AM.

This is by far the most important of all of my philosophies and I have Neil Diamond to thank for this one. This simple truth reminds me that I exist, that I have worth, and that I can become anything I wish to become. As you can tell from the previous two philosophies, putting I AM in front of positive words can be uplifting and inspiring.

I hope learning some of my personal philosophies, beliefs and truths have inspired you. And if you are inspired, I would like to encourage you to sit down and ask yourself what your own personal beliefs, philosophies or truths are and make your own list. This exercise allowed me to dig deep and verbalize those things I hold dear. It is my hope that you will discover your own as well.

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Lori Carlson writes poetry, fiction, personal essays, creative non-fiction, and articles. She focuses on Spirituality, Life Lessons, Self-Awareness, Relationships, Mental Health, and LGBTQ+. She is the Owner/Editor of Promptly Written and Not For Bedtime Stories. You can find her older stories on her creative writing blog, Ravyne’s Nest and random ramblings on her personal blog, A Delicious Torment.