1. CURIOUSITY: Nothing upsets inertia more quickly than curiousity. Curiousity inspires us to DO SOMETHING to satisfy it. If we are curious enough, we will reach past our fears and hesitations to acquire the knowledge we seek.
2. HONESTY: Nothing enables REAL COMMUNICATION like honesty, and nothing else renders it impossible as the lack of honesty.
3. EMPATHY: Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the perspective of another. If having your head hit hurts, then you can draw the conclusion that someone else's head will hurt if you hit it. There is no command to 'love' one another, as love comes unbidden towards whatever native characteristics are in the object of one's affection. Love has its own reasons.
But it is useful to give others the same respect we ourselves would like. This quote is truthful:
"How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these."
--George Washington Carver
The empathic person understands this.
4. WILLINGNESS TO ADMIT FAULT: Objectivity, or the ability to step outside of ourselves and see ourselves as another might is useful for attaining true perspective. Admission that it is possible to be wrong is NOT 'humility', but reality. Being open to seeing where we have erred gives us an opportunity to fix the faults.
5. OPEN MINDEDNESS: Willingness to admit fault goes hand in hand with open mindedness. The open mind allows us to adopt new ideas, and new ways of doing things. By testing the untried, we may come upon an improvement. There are two extremes which are counter-productive. Wanting everyone to agree with us should be avoided. If we remember that each of them, as we ourselves, answers to their own will, then we remember they are entitled to their own opinions.
The other extreme is the person who is so open minded that they are like a sieve, always turning to others to learn what to think. This results in conformity and the 'herd mentality' that is counter-productive.
6. SELF ESTEEM: Having confidence in oneself and loving oneself is essential for our mental and emotional health. However, complete self esteem is fully understanding and embracing our own divinity. Some have called it 'ego worship'. Others have called it 'consciousness worship'. Nothing is quite as empowering and energizing as this practice.
7. ENTHUSIASM: Enthusiasm is that love of life which enables us to find beauty, joy and humor all around us. We see what we look for, and it is this mindset which allows us to discover the zest in life.
8. GAME SPIRIT: Fun loving is being open to all of life's pleasurable activities. A spirit of fun can make play of work. It opens us to what tickles our mental and physical fancy. We can enjoy games to challenge the mind, or challenge the body. Life becomes much more fun when we encourage the spirit of play.
9. SENSE OF HUMOR: The easily amused are richly awarded. 'Laughter is the best medicine' because humor is a healthy stress reliever. Relieving stress is among the best things we can do to strengthen our immune system. All the vegetables and vitamins won't do us nearly so good if our outlook is sour.
10. SENSUALITY: Sensuality is the enjoyment of what comes to us through the five senses. Let us consider the rose. Do its petals not FEEL soft? Does its fragrance caress the NOSE? Doesn't its deep color enchant the EYE? Observe the many petals and how the light falls on them, creating thereby a pattern of light and shadow. Even the prick of its thorn may awaken us.
The rose is rich, indeed for at least three of our senses. TASTING one may be also pleasurable. Roses make no sound, but if you give your lover one, you will likely hear SOUNDS of gratitude and pleasure. The SOUND of your lover's voice, isn't it pleasing? And the happy sounds made in the most intense sensual delights, these sweet sighs, these may have inspired the very creation of music itself.
Music is a sensual treat for the ear. Consider how good our voices feel, surging air from our lungs and through out our vocal chords. Making music is another practice which enlivens us.
The five senses are the gateway through which all the data that our mind processes come. Possibly even, openness to these five senses may enable us to receive impressions from those senses beyond the basic five.
11. GRATITUDE: Gratitude recognizes the contributions of others to our growth and success. We are not alone, separate islands, with no interaction. The interactions of individuals create evolution on the large scale. Again, we see what we look for. It may be as small as a genuine smile of greeting from a stranger, to as large as someone saving our very lives. The ability to be grateful may render us the richest of all.
12. RESOURCEFULNESS: Resourcefulness is the mind of ingenuity at work. We use our resources wisely and don't waste them. When something is missing, we find some other solution. This, as well as ensuring the best use of limited resources (both personal and ecological), keeps our minds ever active.
13. SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE: The active mind is the one that meets new challenges with the spirit of adventure. We are willing to change and learn thereby. This gives zest to our lives and can make each day an adventure. Remember, we see what we look for. The active mind is our consciousness at work. If we are consciousness-worshipping, then the more active our minds are, the better. The active mind will not become dull by unthinking conformity. The active mind will be ever dynamic, ever seeking ways to improve the thinker's life and environment. This is the meaning of the 'willed conscious evolution' of which some progressive left hand paths speak.
Remember, we see what we look for. The WILL so attuned to be aware of such possibilities insures that both our rational and intuitional faculties will be alert to perceive them.
