Joseph Deitch Quotes

Awareness is not a school quiz that can be passed by reading and memorizing some facts. It's a journey that is fueled by our intent to be open, honest, and free.

One rule of conduct that has served me well is this: I don't make an important decision until my heart (intuition) and my head (intellect) are both in agreement.

There are things in life that we simply must experience in order to know. Someone can tell you what it feels like to experience or witness the birth of your first child, but the actual experience is in another realm altogether. The same is true of love. You can read sonnets, hear romantic songs, and understand the biochemistry, but until you experience love, it's all just a bunch of words.

Experience, common sense, and intuition are not obsolete in the computer age. In fact, they could very well be more crucial now than ever.

If you want to get better, get coached.

There is no true bliss in ignorance.

Fascination is much more enjoyable than frustration, and it's far more productive. By attempting to sincerely understand something, we become open and curious, which is a great starting point for learning and growth.

The key is to keep asking, keep probing, keep drilling down. If you activate your natural curiosity, every answer you get may generate new questions, and then new answers, followed by more questions, and so on, in an ever-rising ladder of understanding.

When in doubt, adopt an attitude of curiosity.

We all like to think we're open-minded and objective when it comes to evaluating situations and people. But are we? A huge body of research in physics, biochemistry, and psychology says we're not.

Only when we recognize our shortcomings can we begin to remedy them. Only when we perceive our true strengths can we leverage their power. And only when we seek what we don't know can we really start to learn.

Don't make listening a chore. It doesn't have to be hard work. Make it fun. Make it a game. Make it a treasure hunt. What could be more interesting than discovering new things and increasing our powers of perception? Listening is a never-ending journey along an ever-improving road.

Paying attention is proactive. It is a conscious act that expands our consciousness.

We know that whether something is considered beautiful or ugly is in the eye of the beholder. What's more revealing is that the beholder's determination of what is beautiful and what is ugly is a valuable insight into the soul and psyche of that person. The beauty and the beast are mirrors. It's never actually about the object; it's really about us. Every person, situation, and idea is an interaction between the observer and the observed, and therefore, a potential source of knowledge. Every encounter is an opportunity to learn, not just about the object but about ourselves. Every encounter is therefore an opportunity to evolve. If we pay attention!

Paradoxically, too much information can contribute to our becoming less aware, especially if that information is narrow and biased.

Discomfort may be a doorway; don't run from it.

We think we're making a cogent decision about specific circumstances when we're really just having a pre-programmed reflexive response.

If everything is clear and obvious, why do so many people disagree about so many things? What's really going on?

The "answer" doesn't come in a formula or a one-sentence aphorism. Rather, the path to ongoing enlightenment begins by loosening our death grip on our opinions, beliefs, and ingrained behavior. When we let go, we create space to let in new insights and observations - we explore, we expand, and we become more aware. Letting go and opening up allows us to confront repressed feelings and fears, and allows love and compassion to flourish. That's why one person's "answer" might offer little insight to someone else.

Acknowledging our limitations prompts us to start asking questions, and from that precious moment on we move from limited to liberated.

We don't put up with having our computers hacked for the benefit of others, so why cede control of our minds and our very being to anyone else?

As we become more open and accepting of others and appreciative of what they have to offer, they open up more to us in return.

Generally, people like people who are like themselves.

How we define and frame the world around us creates our so-called reality.

If we are to truly evolve and grow, it's not enough to read about concepts. We must also incorporate them into our lives. Unless they are applied, and unless their worth is verified and validated through personal experience, their influence will be minimal. To really be effective, learning also has to be experiential.

That is the paradox of the human condition. If we humbly accept that our experience of reality is constrained, we immediately loosen the chains that bind us, and we begin to expand.

If everyone perceives a different reality based on their unique physical and psychological attributes, their histories, needs, and desires, then whose reality is accurate? The point is, our so-called reality, the world we think we live in, is actually a contrivance. It's a projection of what we perceive, think, feel, and believe at any given moment. That may sound depressing, but it can be quite the opposite. It can be empowering. Why? Because, if our reality is contrived, it can be adjusted . . . and elevated.

As you understand more, you will become more.

You simply can't fit a gallon of desires into a quart container. And yet we continually try to do just that. What we need is a different approach. A bigger bottle would also help.

The Best Answers Come from the Best Questions.