When we work hard at something, be it a task, a goal or personal trait that we wish to change or improve, we get satisfaction when we see results. Making the causes to see effects is not a one off action. Generally we need to keep the pressure on until the goal is met.
It is easy to let the feelings of euphoria, when we reach a target or goal, get the better of us. We may feel that the effort needed to complete a task can now be eased. This may be true in certain circumstances, where a material goal has been met, but that is not the case where we are striving to maintain an objective, such as compassion or courage.
Being compassionate in one instance, being courageous in a certain circumstance does not make us suddenly compassionate or courageous. We must continue to monitor ourselves, to be mindful, self-aware and to continue the effort that brought us to this point. Reaching a goal can be difficult, but maintaining that status can be just as difficult.
So next time you find yourself bathing in a self-congratulatory glow of satisfaction, take stock. It is the determination to continue the effort, to stop ourselves from back-sliding and to maintain the newly found goal that keeps us on the path to enlightenment and to greater happiness.
What a weird day, a proper rollercoaster of emotions. Being treated like an idiot is not the most fun, even though I may deserve it after the events of last week. Knowing that Bumble has safely arrived in the silly Scilly Isles made me feel better, having had a terrible night, waking up every half hour and wondering whether she was still safe, sleeping in the Yaris, in the middle of the ferry car park.
Well, who would have believed it? Having spent more money than is right and proper on his beloved Chelsea, Roman Abramovic, the Russian owner of Chelsea FC has finally seen his wish come true as Chelsea lifted the Champions League trophy in Munich tonight.
Nichiren wrote that wrath can be both good and bad. Self-centred anger generates evil, but wrath at social injustice becomes the driving force for reform. Strong language that censures and combats a great evil often attracts adverse reactions from society, but this must not intimidate or deter those who believe they are right.
The title sums up my life right now, well not quite, but there’s a lot of both going on at the moment. Strangely, there’s a deal of similarity between the two in some ways. So you think I’ve been breathing in too many undercoat fumes lately? Ok, let me explain.
We all know one. The person you dread meeting by the coffee machine. The one who never has a good word to say about anything. Who when you ask them how they are, gives you a list of all the things wrong with them, never a positive word about anything or anyone. A proper 
Sitting reading William Woollard’s book Buddhism and the Science of Happiness, he talks about the way western society has become addicted to wealth and is dominated by the pursuit of money and power. This is at the expense of fairness, sharing and compassion. We have become, to all intents and purposes, what we earn or own rather than who we really are as a person.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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