Gudjon Styrkarsson Quotes

Fear and anger, the two emotions that most people came to him to reduce - emotions that he'd worked so hard to overcome in his own life - were fuel for politicians. Maybe candidates and congressmen thought that sowing discord among countrymen, even family members, was an unfortunate type of collateral damage. Maybe they didn't think about it at all. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

For a number of people, church attendance seems to be primarily a social affair, the act of meeting other people outside of the pressures of work. For others it is pure business/politics. I get it. It's important to have access to a community like the one a church provides. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

You may have known for many, many years that smoking isn't good for you, but you're still smoking. You have become a master of deluding yourself. Direct experience is the only thing that can crush your delusion. If you really want to quit and be free, this is the most important step you can take in that direction. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

It must be said that "winning" the green card is a misnomer. We had simply won the right to formally apply and have our application processed. We still had to pay for all the processing. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

We were the first latchkey-kid generation. Our parents believed in free love, and for many of us, that meant broken homes. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Most people in Iceland are either referred to as the son or daughter of their father. For example, a woman with a father named John is Johnsdaughter, or in Icelandic Jonsdottir. A man with a father named John is Johnsson, or Jonsson in Icelandic. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Positive affirmations are powerful, but they can be overrun by complaining and negativity if you allow your mind to focus in that direction. As soon as you start complaining about how difficult this process is, you have begun using negative affirmations, and that will in turn give power to your prior longing to smoke (as if that needs empowerment). ~ Gudjon Bergmann

No one can quit smoking for you, or make you want to change your life. No one can make you do anything that you don't want to do. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

There is no such thing as lack of time, only unclear priorities and lack of motivation. It is better to abandon a project than to work on it half-heartedly for a protracted period of time. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Writing is a psychological process. It is the process of taking what is in your mind and sharing it with others. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

An author who rewrites his own work must essentially be two people. One is the free flowing uncritical writer who creates the bulk of the material - the other is the extremely critical editor whose aim it is to make the book as good as it can become. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

...no matter how liberal a church may seem, Christian dogma still revolves around an ancient, paternalistic image of God the Father, who quite frankly isn't much more believable than the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

It is almost impossible to get anyone with a postmodern slant to say "I think" and stand by what follows, without making sure that the person listening understands, "Of course, there are other things to consider. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Yoga teachers must be willing to step down from this imagined pedestal and utter the words "I don't know" on a regular basis. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

I confess that during the citizenship application process the founding principles of this country have grown on me. I have come to believe in the ideal that "We the People" can come together "to form a more perfect Union". The United States represent the most awesome social experiment in the world - a melting pot of cultures, united behind the idea of living free in a democratic Republic. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Are you giving the same advice over and over and over again to clients, patients, pupils, interns or friends? If the answer is yes, you should probably write a book about whatever it is that you keep repeating. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Gandhi is an example of a man who grew from being self-centered as he was learning to become a lawyer in England, to becoming more family- and social oriented in South-Africa, where he led a reformation of Indian rights, to becoming determined in helping his nation recover from British rule at which he succeeded in the end with the help of a great many people. At the end of his life Gandhi was increasingly focused on a larger picture, encasing the whole world in his vision of a peaceful future. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Would you ever buy chocolate with DDT? How about Cheerios with arsenic? Not very likely! ~ Gudjon Bergmann

In civilized society, we humans are responsible for nurturing and sustaining the force of inter-relational harmony in our lives. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Restlessness is the number one enemy of people who have just quit smoking. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Whether one is remaining alert (mindfulness), focusing on a single thought or phrase (mantra), or mentally exploring ones inner world (visualization), all are one form of concentration or another. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Relaxation is… a state between waking and sleeping, where the body is completely still and the mind is allowed to flow freely from one thought to another, or alternately, a state in which the mind becomes inadvertently calm. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Everyone knows that a quick-fix usually doesn't work, yet we have all been sold on the idea time and time again. Most of us would like to believe in miracle drugs and fast relief. The truth is that most of the quick fixes for stress focus on temporary relief from tension or pain. Temporary, as in, the problem will return with a vengeance. This doesn't mean we should never take drugs to alleviate tension or pain, it just means that taking drugs is not a viable permanent solution; it's just a temporary relief. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

The trans-rational spiritual approach is a simple concept with wide-ranging practical implications. There are three major components involved: (1) not denying rationality, (2) pursuing the experience of a peaceful internal state, and (3) allowing that inner peace to guide behavior. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

For years I tried to help people with simple things, such as tension relief through breathing and relaxation, but all they wanted were the drugs. They wanted to numb themselves. They did not want to face their fears or feel better through their own efforts - and they certainly did not want to be illuminated. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Be this as it may, an increasing number of us find that something is missing . . . something vague . . . something - dare I say - spiritual. Even those of us who scoff at religious and spiritual institutions have to admit that there is something there - purpose, meaning, internal calm, a like-minded society, and a chance to serve our fellow man - all of which are admirable. We are attracted and repulsed at the same time, primarily because there seems to be a steep price to pay when we enter the so-called spiritual arena. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Some events in life are so overwhelming that people will experience stress no matter how good they are at controlling their minds in normal circumstances. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Stop hoping for the weather to change, this is where you chose to live, either accept it or move. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

I will not like everyone, not everyone will like me, and that is OK. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

What I call stupidity is not only lack of knowledge, although much of humanity could be elevated from poverty, dogma, illusions and war through traditional education. A thriving education system is the foundation for progress. But stupidity is not merely ignorance; it can also be a way of acting. If you act contrary to your own goals in life – you're stupid. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Here is my theory: If smoking is really good, you should be able to smoke and do nothing else at the same time, really focusing all your attention on smoking and how it makes you feel. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Philosophy has become the shadow of itself over the years. Nine parts history and one part reflection on history. It has been ages since anything original came forth in the field. All the good thinking has already been done. Nowadays, philosophers are mostly institutionalized academics - like me - focused more on the politics of tenure than on philosophizing. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Co-dependency essentially revolves around the sentence: "I am not enough." A co-dependent person will always need another person to validate their worth, their feelings, their ideas and even their existence. This either shows itself as a need to manipulate and control surroundings; or as a need to bend over backwards to make other people feel good, the reason being that "I can't feel good if you don't feel good. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

No one can save time. It's not like money. You can't deposit the time you save into an account and use it later. Time passes. Time is a constantly depleting resource. Once it's gone, it's gone, and you will NEVER get it back. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Growth seems to evolve from a narrow-minded, constricted worldview (selfish) to an ever-more-encompassing worldview (multiperspective caring). To put it simply, the more self-centered you are, the lower you tend to land on these scales, while the more perspectives you can entertain - the more empathy you can show and the better your ability to see things from a variety of viewpoints - the higher you land on these scales. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

One myth that has become established in the self-development arena is that it only takes 21 days to form a new habit. This simply isn't true in all cases. Sometimes it takes a shorter time, sometimes a longer time, and sometimes old habits are so hard to break that new ones never take hold. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

There is not a single person I have met in my lifetime who is comfortable talking about death. It's the biggest downside to our youth-centric culture. Death is a bummer, so let's not talk about it. Let's hide it away and hope it never strikes close to home. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Self-confidence is not a fixed way of being. People are not born with certain levels of self-confidence, it can be acquired, and it can be lost. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Everyone who is alive can find something to be grateful for if they look for it. If you are among the few that can't find anything, start with the fact that you are ALIVE and continue from there. Counting ones blessings is a barometer of mental health. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Authors, such as William Zinsser, Steven Pinker, Natalie Goldberg, and Stephen King, who have all written exquisite books on the art and craft of writing, have reminded me that it is the commitment to the craft that matters the most; the longing to get better and the countless hours of work that go into writing and rewriting. To them I am eternally grateful. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

The moments of peace in between the mental practices are meditation. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

Many people close themselves off from the world when they are under pressure. That is understandable. I have gone through periods when I didn't want to meet people because I didn't feel good about my situation in life and that made my life even more stressful. Remind yourself often about how much of an impact compassion and friendship can have on your life. You need to get out there, be compassionate and share your time and your life with your friends and other people that need your support. It's worth it on every level. ~ Gudjon Bergmann

By exclaiming that "there are no absolute truths" the postmodern stance is also claiming that the statement it just made is an absolute truth - trying to have it both ways, rejecting absolutism with absolutism. ~ Gudjon Bergmann