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8 Quotes From Zen Buddhist That Can Help You Set Priorities in Life

If applied, they will make you rethink your current state of life and focus on what really matters.

By Victoria KurichenkoPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
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When your time on Earth is nearing the end, what would you say about your life? Was it bright, happy, challenging, and full of opportunities? Or would you say you regret anything?

Marcus Aurelius, a stoic philosopher, and a Roman emperor, once said:

“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.”

We are all guests on this planet. Every day is like a little life — it starts with a sunrise, shines bright, and fades away with the last sunbeam. Being able to wake up every day is one of the greatest gifts we should be grateful for.

It is easy to get lost in your priorities sight when there is uncertainty around, when you can’t decide if your current self can help you reach your ideal state of life.

Below are eight wonderful quotes from a Zen Buddhist, Haemin Sunim, that will make you rethink your current state of life and understand what really matters to you.

“Your freedom is more important than money. It is better to live the kind of life you want than to earn more and be constrained. ”

In other words, don’t sell your freedom. Money-making and career often come first when we are young. As slaves of our desires, we work hard to earn more, buy more, and enjoy the present moment.

Some people make a conscious decision never to stop working since a fear of losing the comfort makes them stay in the rat race—day by day. They sell their freedom and time for money.

Researches at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand conducted an extensive study with more than 420,000 people from 63 countries and lasted 40 years that revealed a surprising finding:

Money leads to autonomy, but it does not add to well-being or happiness.

When I was younger, I thought money is a universal power that solves everything. I tried to work harder to achieve more. However, a few years later, I realized, time and my health are priceless! I will never be able to buy time and energy no matter how much money I make.

Everything you do when you are young will have an impact on your elderly life. If you are blinded by endless opportunities trying to catch the best one, remember to set the right priorities!

“Make your health and wellness a top priority and always take care of yourself so you’re ready to take care of others. “— Buddha.

“Don’t assume another bus will be coming. Sometimes the route change, and you will never get another chance to catch the bus you missed.”

In other words, missed opportunities are lost forever.

It rarely happens you are given a second chance to fix the situation, accept the offer you refused or even say “I love you” to someone. I lost two close family members in the past two years before realizing that the best moment to hug my parents is now.

The same applies to any decision in life. You might want to postpone some of them, but time does not wait for anyone! Sometimes you have to make prompt decisions until they are made by someone else.

If an opportunity knocks on your door, don’t be so shy and open the door. You can always say no in case that’s not your “bus.”

“The reward for someone who works hard is more work.”

It is a cruel reality. Nowadays, people tend to work harder to squeeze more things into the daytime.

They believe their efforts will be highly appreciated, but, unfortunately, it rarely happens. If they manage to do their tasks fast, there is a high chance they’ll be given more work to do. Why? Because everyone has their priorities.

Every boss wants to see the job done as soon as possible. If your boss knows you can do your tasks fast, you will be rewarded with more stuff to do. I might be wrong in saying this principle is universal. Still, I have never seen any employer with a different mindset.

I used to be the kind of person who tried to please others. I used to jump above and beyond to finish the tasks before the deadline and always looked excited to face new challenges.

My approach to work taught me to respect myself no matter what and make it a priority.

Remember, work is endless, while your time and energy are finite. When handling your work-life balance, make sure you set the right priorities that do not compromise your life values.

“Most thoughts are just personal opinions based on limited experience.”

People love to teach others how they should live their lives. Friends, parents, teachers at school, colleagues at work, sometimes even strangers in the long-haul buses love giving tips on what you should do with your life.

Psychologists explain this phenomenon by saying that people feel empowered when they show wisdom and advise others. One research study revealed when people talk about their friends’ or peers’ conflicts; they are more willing to help them solve their problems.

The question is: do you need to follow others’ advice? I would say — don’t accept suggestions to please someone but keep your priorities on top. There are as many opinions as people on Earth. However, no one knows what’s best for you except for you.

When someone wants to give you advice, remember, they judge the world based on their life values and limited experience. Your priorities are different!

“If you have led an honorable and honest life, there is no need to be afraid of speaking the truth.”

“Honesty is an essential part of self-improvement and overcoming delusional thinking about yourself.” — Steven Hendel.

You have to be willing to accept the reality before changing yourself and moving on in life. If you are dishonest with yourself, you only see what you want to see; you talk about the things you believe are right despite the others’ opinions.

People remember bad things more than good. You will never be able to impact society if you are dishonest. Your words will mean nothing to others. Be honest with yourself and others if you want to live your truth, sleep peacefully, and never regret the committed sins at the end of your life.

“Thinking can make it difficult to act. If you do it, then it is done. If you give yourself time to start thinking again, inaction will take hold again.”

If it takes a lot of time to make a decision, your mind will most likely start telling you “you can’t,” “you shouldn’t,” “you don’t want to do it.”

15–20% of adults live based on the principle “I won’t do today things that I can do tomorrow.” They consciously select dreaming about their ideal future instead of owning every gifted minute of life.

The brightest idea will stay as an idea in your mind if you take no action. You will never know how your future looks until you get up and create it yourself. Too much thinking kills enthusiasm! “What if” objections replace motivations and believes.

I rarely bring my old writing topics to life since new, exciting ideas pop up in my brain every day.

Rebecca K. Sampson, a mindset coach, and a nonfiction author, once well-said: “To live a full life is to live one without regrets.”

Better to act now than to regret about unmade decisions, untold confessions, and undone things later.

“Pure attention without judgment is not only the highest form of human intelligence but also the expression of love. “

When we come into this world, we are blank as a white sheet of paper. Interactions with objects and people create our perception of this world. Society teaches us what love is, how to build friendship, who we can trust, and who we should avoid.

When we grow up, we become emotionally intelligent. This vital skill helps us to distinguish real friends from those who show evident signs of toxic friendship. Sooner or later, you’ll have to prioritize not only your duties and goals but also the people around you!

Those who are with you in grief and joy, ready to give without asking for anything back — show the most genuine expressions of love. As the American investment banker, activist, and author, Ziad K. Abdelnour put it

“Life is like an elevator. On your way up, sometimes you have to stop and let some people off.”

“You can try to become happy by controlling your environment or by cultivating gratitude in your mind. The latter is much easier.”

Some people believe the desired physical environment creates happiness. They are convinced that the level of income, career, belongings, and joys compose an idealistic future everyone wants to have in their lives.

The paradox is the closer we get to our idealistic state of life, the more unhappy we can be. It usually takes time, dedication, effort, and endless failures to make the dreams come true. Only 8% of people achieve their goals, according to the research studies. While nearly 92% of people give up on their dreams, having no hope and power to move on.

Desperation can lead to depression. Depression is a profoundly stressful mental state that can adversely affect health and well-being.

The world does not end if you don’t fulfill your materialistic goals right away. Give yourself time to rethink what went well, what you can change in life, and what you can do to reach your ideal state of life faster.

Thomas Edison failed 1000 times before he discovered the right bulb filament, but he never stopped.

Remember, if you think you are in a bad state now, there are people somewhere who need help more than you. Give yourself a mental break and get back on track.

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Priorities help to create guidance. You no longer desperately follow the crowd thinking there is a place for you somewhere. You know what you do, why you do it, and where your actions should lead you in the future.

Stephen R. Covey, an American author and a businessman, put it great:

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”

Keep your priorities on top, always! Others will wait.

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About the Creator

Victoria Kurichenko

Self-made marketer & content writer. Writing daily. Creating SEO-friendly content for 3 years.

My site: https://selfmademillennials.com/

Let's get in touch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-kurichenko/

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