SimplyNumbers

Quote ~ Mark Epstein

When we seek happiness through accumulation, either outside of ourselves--from other people, relationships, or material goods--or from our own self-development, we are missing the essential point. In either case we are trying to find completion. But according to Buddhism, such a strategy is doomed. Completion comes not from adding another piece to ourselves but from surrendering our ideas of perfection.

Quote ~ Wes Nisker

As strange as it sounds, meditation may reveal that we are happier than we ever thought we were. We may discover that ancient conditioning rather than present circumstances is causing our dissatisfaction, and this moment is quite sufficient or even wonderful, and we simply hadn't noticed. ~ The Buddha is Still Teaching

Discovering A Life That Matters

Your Destiny Number can guide you toward living a life that really matters to you. As a tool to understand your life experiences, your Destiny Number describes ways in which you can best live in order to live up to your fullest potential. We all have life changing experiences we will pass through. Your own experiences will help to shape the person you will become.

The Destiny number describes those situations, actions and decisions you really are compelled to choose for growth in your life. It's about following your heart and believing in your inner dreams.

At first, others may more clearly see which decisions are best for you. Consider their wisdom carefully. However, the decision on how you want live your life is always up to you. But, sometimes those close to us can easily identify strengths within us, which we cannot yet see. Your choices and possibilities are limitless. Know that the knowledge that comes from living up to your Destiny Number can be vital toward pursuing your personal growth.

In Numerology, we use a letter chart to convert our names to a corresponding number. To Calculate your Destiny Number you will simply add up all of the letters in your birth name (or a nickname if you choose). The resulting number is then reduced to a single digit, by adding together its own numbers:

A, J, S = 1
B, K, T = 2
C, L, U = 3
D, M, V = 4
E, N, W = 5
F, O, X = 6
G, P, Y = 7
H, Q, Z = 8
I, R = 9

Example:
Paris Hilton : 7 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 1 + 8 + 9 + 3 + 2 + 6 + 5 = 60
(6 + 0) = 6

Now, if you also had a Destiny Number 6 like Paris, you would try to keep in mind how your time spent working or just having fun helps to make you feel more confident. For someone with a Destiny Number 6 this might be finding ways to help others connect and find joy in their own lives. When you are younger this might be through volunteer work with a group of close friends. Later in life you may feel compelled to be part a strong part of your community by contributing your time to local schools, hospitals or other community organizations.

Destiny Numbers - Brief Descriptions
Destiny 1:
You'll feel confident when you are: Being inventive or creative, Guiding, Leading, Challenging others
You'll feel challenged when you are: Giving up, Over confident, Domineering, Controlling, Hiding

Destiny 2:
You'll feel confident when you are: Compassionate, Caring, Honest, Receptive, Social, Giving
You'll feel challenged when you are: Feeling isolated, Cut off, Being manipulative, Wavering, Depressed, Chaotic

Destiny 3:
You'll feel confident when you are: Social, Optimistic, Creative, Gregarious, Fun, Caring, Worldly
You'll feel challenged when you are: Domineering, Gossipy, Bragging, Controlling, Manipulative

Destiny 4:
You'll feel confident when you are: Persistent, Loyal, Dependable, Controlled, Determined, Practical
You'll feel challenged when you are: Angry, Heated, Domineering, Fear based, Resistant, Moody, Closed

Destiny 5:
You'll feel confident when you are: Exploring, Curious, Inventive, Discovering, Traveling, Finding your voice
You'll feel challenged when you are: Greedy, Frugal, Coveting, Feeling Stressed, Temperamental, Bored, Uncaring

Destiny 6:
You'll feel confident when you are: Warm, Hospitable, Caring, Parenting, Helping, Concerned
You'll feel challenged when you are: Selfish, Uncaring, Pessimistic, Closed, Mean, Angry, Cold

Destiny 7:
You'll feel confident when you are: Utilizing your intuition, Living Spiritually, Honest, Caring, Having faith
You'll feel challenged when you are: Isolated, Dogmatic, Isolated, Apathetic, Closed, Lost, Angry

Destiny 8:
You'll feel confident when you are: Expressing your authority, persistent, courageous, honest, dedicated
You'll feel challenged when you are: Domineering, Greedy, Manipulative, Dishonest, Disloyal

Destiny 9:
You'll feel confident when you are: Sympathetic, Compassionate, Inspiring, Caring, Determined
You'll feel challenged when you are: Critical, Angry, Manipulative, Bitter, Compulsive

TED Talk - Ron Gutman: The hidden power of smiling

Waiting For Opportunity

What is opportunity, and when does it knock? It never knocks. You can wait a whole lifetime, listening, hoping, and you will hear no knocking. None at all. You are opportunity, and you must knock on the door leading to your destiny. You prepare yourself to recognize opportunity, to pursue and seize opportunity as you develop the strength of your personality, and build a self-image with which you are able to live / with your self-respect alive and growing. ~ Maxwell Maltz


The above quote speaks about having both the ability to act, and the ability to step out of your comfort zone. You might not necessarily step all the way out of your fear, but you’ll be able to take advantage of your opportunity as you push open your own doorways. We all have moments when we realize that if we don’t take action, nobody else will.

What are you acting on right now? It doesn’t have to be world changing, only something that helps you to take a step toward being the you, that you want to be. It might seem like a small thing right now, but you might look back and smile at the courage and tenacity that helped you to stand firm, and make a decision that helped your life to unfold along a new path.

We’re almost at the halfway point for the year. 2011 is a year that requires us to be practical, but also calls for us to listen to our hearts. Are you listening? Are you living your life in a meaningful and purposeful way? Numerologically, 2011 can provide time for you to more deeply evaluate where you are in all areas of your life. Are you opening the doors to progress that present themselves to you? Are you seeking out new challenges?

Although, it may be important to take a rational and balanced view of your aspirations, it’s also important to look within and ask yourself about how you are meeting the needs of your heart. Again, are you listening to your heart? You heart is simply calling for changes that can help you to push past obstacles, and into new opportunities. Are you ready?


Good questions to ask at this time:

• How might my heart be offering important wisdom and guidance?
• What have I been waiting to start in my life?
• What has my heart been calling for?
• What have I been afraid or unable to step into?

Quote ~ Pema Chodron

We work on ourselves in order to help others, but also we help others in order to work on ourselves. ~ Pema Chodron

Gallup Poll: Wellbeing

Gallup reported that Hawaii had the highest wellbeing rating among states in 2010. The Southern states stand out with the lowest well being ratings, with West Virginia coming in last.

Effectively dealing with anger

Do you ever wish that you could be more observant of your darker emotions, such as anger? Do you feel like your anger can be destructive? Do you ever regret something you’ve done when you were angry? If you’re like me, or most people at some time, then you probably are shaking your head back and forth, saying “yes” to yourself.

Perhaps you have yelled at your children, smashed something of value, or stormed out of the house. Perhaps, you have even gotten into a physical confrontation. There are times when anger can be detrimental to our leading healthy and constructive lives. Anger, does have a place and you may need to express it, but you likely don’t want to express it in a way that brings harm to others.

Ideally, before your anger gets out of control, you will want to find a way to notice it. How do you begin to feel as anger starts welling up within you. Do you squeeze your hands into tight fists? Do you pace back and forth? Do your temples start to throb? Are your reactions more internal? Do you start to berate yourself inwardly?

However you react, think of your initial reactions as a warning sign that you're about to veer off your path. Try to be self-aware of these initial reactions. Try to also notice whether you prefer to stuff your anger down, or express it outwardly. You mat also wish to notice how it comes up when you feel unsatisfied or unfulfilled with something.

Over time you’ll, as you practice being more self-aware of your anger, you’ll notice your initial reactions and then you may be able to step aside and find a few moments to calm and compose yourself. Perhaps, you may need to excuse yourself from a discussion and find a way to speak your thoughts at a later time, without the destructive power of anger.

Utilizing Numerology, and your Core Numbers, we can take a look at various aspects of your life to review where your personal strengths and weaknesses are. By looking within and taking steps to learn more about yourself you can learn more about your triggers for stress and worry, which often tend to contribute to anger. You can also look to your Personal Year to review the general theme of the year for yourself and take steps to organize your life to be better prepared for the opportunities and challenges that can occur during the year.

As you learn more about yourself and begin to apply Numerology into your life, you can begin to work with other tools and techniques that speak to your Life Path and Soul Number. Many personal growth tools can help with anger, but some may work better depending on your personality and needs. When I was younger my upset typically would could from misunderstanding others. I needed to find practical tools, like the Enneagram, to help me better understand others and the ways that they perceive the world.

Please contact me if you're interested in Numerology and finding ways to work with and reduce anger in your life.

Science Daily: Personal Well-Being Is Linked to National Satisfaction

A new study of people from 128 countries has found that the higher the level of satisfaction that people have with their country, then they will feel increasingly better about their lives. The study, which was published in Psychological Science,  is based on a Gallup World Poll.

"This [study] shows that those who are very rich or live in a Western culture assess their well-being in different ways than those who are poorer or live in non-Western country." ~ Mike Morrison, University of Illinois

For more information about this study, please contact: Mike Morrison at: mmorris8@cyrus.psych.uiuc.edu

Matthieu Ricard on ABC

Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, often called the happiest man alive, recently had an interview with ABC. He talks about happiness and the importance of meditation.