I have found that when I let myself get wrapped up in someone's issue, or with another's problems, I get swept up in the tide right along with them.

'And then there were two'

It is good to be involved to the extent that we give positive and useful advice, but not to the extent that we give that person power over our own sense of balance, peace, and happiness. We are not a help to the person having the problem, if we get emotionally involved in or depressed by their situation.

Being compassionate by listening carefully. And then giving advice from our highest most insight.Maintains our peace of mind and restores some clarity on the issues presenting.

By standing back in mind and emotion, while listening carefully and with compassion, we are 'there' for the person. We are also right there in our own center of balance--best able to clearly see and perhaps work with them on those issues.

Our personal peace and harmony are generated from our core.

When another is out of balance we are the most helpful by remaining in our own orbit of balance to be able to view the issues clearly and recommend a more effective course to follow.

Problems will always be part of our daily living but problems have solutions -- Solutions that come to mind .from clear and balanced thinking

Compassionate listening plus maintaining our peace of mind leads to clear viewing.

Happiness is for each of us to experience coming from balance and harmony in our personal attitudes, thoughts, and actions.

What we view in others is for our review to be able to give compassionate advice for the highest good.

If we feel depressed because another person is depressed, we are choosing to empathize but not serve them usefully. The higher choice is to listen carefully to another's problem and then offer useful advice. In offering advice from our highest consciousness we retain our own sense of peace and happiness because we know we are doing what is good in the situation.

Developing a Discerning Mind and Will-Power...

Developing a discerning mind allows us the most happiness in living Developing will-power allows us to carry out what we determine is for our ultimate good

When we are able and willing to make the choices and carry through on what is best in each situation we maintain or regain harmony in our lives.

>We develop a discerning mind by first following the guidelines that religion and society have laid out for us--basically the golden rule extended.

'Do unto others as we would have them do unto us' and do unto ourselves what allows us to preserve our personal peace, happiness, and health. Developing will power only comes when we are mentally convinced on what we want. Because it is harder to walk a straight line than a wide road we must be more than convinced to follow through on a plan. We must diligently apply ourselves to our plan all day long. An example of using the combination of discernment and will power is with ending the habit of cigarette smoking. We first use our discerning mind, to consider the pros and cons of cigarette smoking on all aspects of our life. As we all intellectually know that scientific research has shown cigarette smoking is dangerous to our health it is up to us through the use of our will power to quit smoking.

It is in the combination of discernment and will power that we upgrade the quality of our life and make space for our consciousness to expand.

There is a certain degree of refinement needed before the more esoteric thoughts and experiences can flow through our minds--taking shape through our actions.

Accelerated growth in consciousness-- with its inherent happiness and bliss-- comes about when we have used discernment and will power often enough that we spontaneously do what is for the best in each waking moment

Course Corrections...

Our path in life can be winding-- Sometimes wide open in front of us. Sometimes through a narrow gorge

When we reach a shear cliff it is better to consider other options than struggling to get beyond the obstacle-- again moving on smoothly.

And, it is okay and necessary to make course corrections whenever we see a clearer or better way to proceed.

Change is not failure--rather, change using new information to get us to our destination more easily is the most efficient path on which to proceed. Even change many times on the way to our goals when a clearer way becomes visible is the best course of action to follow.

The need for course corrections can face us at any stage in the progress of any goal we are seeking--even when we are deeply entrenched along a specific path.

Allowing course corrections makes use of our intelligent, discerning, and creative faculties. We are given these aspects of mind to be able to adjust ourselves to changing circumstances and conditions in our lives--including career goals and relationships.

When we become aware that another action would be for the higher good of a situation we need to make a course correction to maintain our balance of peace of mind and an easeful body.

Our ultimate path in life is to act so that we maintain peace of mind and an easeful body while growing in consciousness of the whole of ourselves. And the whole of ourselves is not limited to our body, mind and emotions. It is the knowing that we use our body in action, our mind in creatively solving life's problems, and our emotions to show care as tools to get to know our infinite soul. Our soul, having far-reaching roots that are sunk in the infinite Spirit--invisible but ever present, experienced through the portal of our heart by our actions of unconditional love.

Course corrections. Necessary when needed to regain or maintain peace of mind and an easeful body Course corrections allowing us to reach our goals most easily. To reach our ultimate goal of knowing our soul most easily

I have found as I traverse through life, that standing back emotionally--but still using compassion to view issues clearly--I serve most usefully. And at the same time I am preserving my own balance. Being willing to upgrade my actions, making the necessary course corrections along the way< continually increases my ability to find constructive answers.

Writing _ 1998 Susan Kramer