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We’ve taken a quick tour of Stoicism and heard from the likes of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. Today, we end this series with Seneca’s piece that has been titled over the millennia, “On the Shortness of Life.” The piece is a strident call to action. Truly, it’s about seizing the day like no other written work.
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A Washington, D.C. story from the 5th and 6th floors on Eye Street…
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You’ve heard in the prior episodes about the first two disciplines that the Stoics practiced: the disciplines of perception and of action. Today, we hear about the third discipline–the discipline of will. Our clearest examples come from the trials and tribulations of war and great loss which we will hear about today. But we’ll learn that the crucible of war is not the only time to pull out this discipline from our old friends, the Stoics. It’s a daily practice. This discipline of will requires that we answer the question, “How do we govern ourselves in a world that isn’t always happy and fair? How do we reconcile the externals and internals–those things within our control and those things outside our control. This discipline is about our character and how we define ourselves.
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Crayons seem to be the lifeblood of our childhood. But what about now?
Listen in to Hooray Weekly and Lee Ann for a moment…Go back for a second. See and smell all your crayons spilled upon the floor. What was your favorite crayon in the box of 64? Continue Reading
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With the discipline of action, our ancient friends remind us that the way to live a happy and productive life is to make a habit of doing good.
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Are you in the habit of seeing things and people as they are or do you attach a story to everything and everyone you see? If you’re honest, (and we all need to be!) most of us are in the habit of poor perception and faulty thinking/logic. We have endless reels that are playing in the background that distort almost every interaction…and we wonder why we suffer! Continue Reading
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A composting bin, spider, rain, persistence and sunshine. What weaves them together? Listen in and find out!
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And don’t forget to check out Lee Ann’s latest, “the little book with a lot of punch”:
You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations
Thanks to all who have made this first week of the book launch so special, meaningful and successful! My hat is off to you and my gratitude is immense.
With love and Hooray,
Lee Ann
P.S. Want to send a comment or make a suggestion for a future podcast episode? By all means send an email–just click here!
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To live a good and happy life, the Cherokee elder warns his grandchild to feed the “good wolf”. And Jesus gives us the Beatitudes as a marvelous template for how to feed our better selves (the good wolf). Continue Reading
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Today’s a bit of a neighborhood day, a Mister Roger’s day…an introduction to your host and friend of Hooray Weekly, Lee Ann Hopkins. We are incorporating a bit of last week’s theme, it’s kind of like “coming out”—sharing things that are perhaps hidden and unknown to the public.
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This episode is for YOU! Lee Ann offers encouragement that delivers–offering two ideas that will surely boost your internal skies–your very own positive weather! When your practice gets stale or feels fake, you have to mix things up a bit with a switch of pronoun usage and/or a novel form of “afformations” as introduced by Noah St. John.
Afformations: The Miracle of Positive Self-Talk, by Noah St. John–Powerful book that shows the incredible combination of the question with affirmations. He turns affirmations on their heads with his method!
You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations, by Lee Ann Hopkins–This is a small book that offers loads of value, especially if you’ve never used affirmations before. Even if you have, there are always new things to learn about this incredible old subject!
Affirmations Page–found on Hooray Living’s website. Listen to audio clips of some of Lee Ann’s favorite affirmations with a lovely soundtrack of music underneath by justjohnmusic (John Hopkins).
The Hooray Daily–bite-sized cheer for you in your day! You can find this page dedicated to affirmations, fun, quotes and good vibes. Every morning there is an affirmation posted. Download the post images to your phone in your picture app. I’ve made a separate album of affirmation images on my phone. This little library-of-love gives me the opportunity to flip through them when I need a lift in the middle of the day! Try it!
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Clear up those internal weather patterns that are causing you to suffer! Create your great life with affirmations. Learn from a master affirmation practitioner and your host and fellow traveler on this journey, Lee Ann Hopkins. She gives you seven rules (suggestions) to get you started with affirmations. Even if you’ve worked with positive thinking, listen in, as you’re bound to learn something new!
You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations, by Lee Ann Hopkins–This is a small book that offers loads of value, especially if you’ve never used affirmations before. Even if you have, there are always new things to learn about this incredible old subject!
Affirmations Page–found on Hooray Living’s website. Listen to audio clips of some of Lee Ann’s favorite affirmations with a lovely soundtrack of music underneath by justjohnmusic (John Hopkins).
The Hooray Daily–bite-sized cheer for you in your day! You can find this page dedicated to affirmations, fun, quotes and good vibes. Every morning there is an affirmation posted. Download the post images to your phone in your picture app. I’ve made a separate album of affirmation images on my phone. This little library-of-love gives me the opportunity to flip through them when I need a lift in the middle of the day! Try it!
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What will bring us through tough times? Listen in as Lee Ann reflects upon the power of our grief.
…And drop Lee Ann a line via email, sky-writing or pigeon carrier! She’d love to hear from you…and as you’ll hear in this episode, she’s sending cards and notes to listeners who just need a bit of love, cheer and/or pick-me-up. Nothing better than finding some love in your mail box (not your email in box!)…Just don’t forget to leave your mailing address or the address of someone you care about who needs a little surprise. You can email Lee Ann at: leeann@hoorayliving.com.
Mary Oliver — (American poet, born 1935) The poem I read on the podcast is called, “Starlings in Winter” and can be found in her book, Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays (Beacon Press 2003). Another couple of recommendations include one of her more recent collections, Felicity: Poems (Penquin Press 2015) and, as a devoted dog lover, her book Dog Songs: Poems (Penguin Press 2013). I particularly enjoy the poems in Felicity because they are about love. Yes, love as the headlong rush into life each day. She grabs you by the shirt collar and points to the birds, furry four-legged creatures, the sky and the mangroves, exclaiming “look, listen and love!” Pick up any of Ms. Oliver’s poetry and you will get a dose of nature surely capable of healing any woes.
Leo Tolstoy — (Russian writer, 1828-1910) Tolstoy wrote the acclaimed novels War and Peace, Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and still ranks among the world’s top writers. Here’s an interesting tidbit you may not know…Did you know that Leo Tolstoy’s ideas of nonviolent resistance to evil influenced Mahatma Gandhi? Indeed! He was deeply spiritual.
Fyodor Dostoevsky — (Russian writer, 1821-1881) Dostoevsky’s great novels include, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot.
More quotes from this most influential author:
“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.”
“Love is such a priceless treasure that you can buy the whole world with it, and redeem not only your own but other people’s sins. Go, and do not be afraid.”
