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August 26, 2003

At Work | Heavenletters #1039

God said:

Nothing discourages you but yourself. Events do not discourage you. What you make of them discourages you. Be the encourager of yourself.

You fall into the trap of thinking of all that you have to do and have not done, and your enthusiasm is dampened. Think of nothing, and you will be encouraged.

Your thoughts can be anything you want. You can lift yourself with your thoughts, or you can put yourself down. Your thoughts tell you that you have succeeded or failed, as if success and failure are all there is. You have made these two seeming opposites your criterion.

If you must think, think in terms of being. You are a being. A being cannot always be doing. Sometimes a being just has to be.

Being is not indulging. Being isn’t an excuse for not doing. At those times when you are solely being, you are collecting yourself. You are putting yourself back together. Being is restorative.

You cannot spend your energy every minute and still have some left over any more than you can spend all your money and still have more to spend.

You spend your energy, and then you whip yourself for not having more. You would not whip a horse who needed rest. And yet you whip yourself.

You only think you have failed at something. You say the race is over. Who said you had to enter a race? Life is not to prove how fast and how far you can run.

You are not a sled dog who pulls a heavy load. You are a light-winged messenger of God. Have you forgotten?

No matter how many messages you have to deliver, you will deliver them. There is no time clock. There is no bell that will go off saying you haven’t delivered them on time. You deliver them as you go along. There is no haste. You might as well enjoy delivering. Consider the enjoying your success. Why not?

The assignment I give you is to enjoy. I did not say that you must deliver 100 messages today. I said enjoy your day. That is the same as to say: Bless what you are doing, and bless yourself.

Exertion is not blessing. Whom or what can exertion bless? You don’t need to run uphill. You can stroll and make uphill as though it were downhill. There is no need to huff and puff.

Being out of breath is not your goal. It is not a measure of success. Breathe in, breathe in deeply. Inhale just as much as you exhale.

Consider yourself your own employer, and be good to yourself. You would not disparage someone who worked for you. How then can you justify disparaging yourself? The way to succeed as an employer is to inspire. Well, then, inspire yourself.

Be an inspiration of joy. Inspire yourself to be joyful. How can you be inadequate when you are joyful? Be adequate for joy. Let joy be the carrot that motivates you.

Heavy-heartedness does not become you. The question to ask yourself is not: How hard have I worked, how much have I gotten done? The question to ask yourself is: How much have I enjoyed? Enjoying is not a waste a time. Who said you could not enjoy your work for it to be worthwhile?

You were born to enjoy. Accept no longer the idea that life is for pain and striving. Give yourself a star for every joy you have today and every joy you give. Whistle while you work.

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