For me, chess has been a powerful tool and discipline for personal growth. Combined with alcoholic recovery principles, life makes much more sense than it used to. The YouTube video link at the bottom of this write will lead you to these tools and disciplines.
Odd as it may sound to some, my HP (Higher Power) God (as I understand God) has helped my surrendered heart, mind, and soul find Grace and Learned Beauty in every aspect of my past and NOW.
A willingness to go to any lengths is a beautiful thing. Loss in Life & on the Chess Board "IS" a Most Generous Benefactor.
Existence & then a Willingness to Believe Precedes our Capacity to Reflect Original Purity. Seriously, the most strenuous pushups in life are twofold: the first and the last. The middle pushups are generally the ones we forget, but the decision to do the first pushup is only memorable IF the last one kicked your' you-know-what.’ Right? :-)
Childbirth came to my mind as the ‘last’ PUSH! of sorts, but I’m a man, and sometimes our birthing is emotionally dreadful, but the spiritual/physical side of birthing a child I will never comprehend.
I created a video and took almost an hour to explain a few valuable lessons from the evolution of wisdom I’ve acquired both in and out of prison. The beautiful thing I discovered is that the doors of any prison I’ve been in were never locked, akin to the idea C.S. Lewis posited that the door to hell is opened only from the inside. To me, the most secure prison in the world is the one we construct for ourselves. I’ve met people in life who were in prison or going through circumstances that many of us would deem impossible to prevail over, but their attitudes were stellar, and their hearts stayed pure as their minds focused on the Glory of God.
To the pure of heart, all things are pure. In God’s Economy, nothing is wasted. “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” ― Carl R. Rogers, On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy.
And lastly a quote from a well-known author Victor Frankl: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
The Three-Second Rule: Use It so you don't 'Lose It' (over something stupid). We all say something we regret from time to time, but some people justify it by saying something ridiculous, like, "Well, it's the TRUTH! You can't handle the TRUTH!" Geez, talk about wallowing in condescension.
For me, this works better: Say what you mean, mean what you say, but don't say it mean. This takes discipline. Pick your battles. How important is it?
Truth without compassion is cruelty.
Never get into a pissin' contest with a skunk.
Meek is Greek for 'Power Under Control.' Before speaking, I usually utilize The Three Second Rule. It has saved me more times than I can count.If you can support my work, please consider so doing. I had a benefactor support my work some time back, and I am so grateful.
I am here to serve humanity as an Instrument in my HP’s Hand. I was hoping you could help me help others (and help me keep food on my table) by inviting me to speak (live or online via ZOOM), maybe ask me to write an article, or just donate a few bucks by clicking the link at the top of the page.
Here’s the Unlisted YouTube video link with afformentioned Life Messages:
https://youtu.be/k85QhGLbtqs