Elvis Presley is still the king of rock n’ roll. But some of the things “the King” said about his success might surprise his audience.
For example, Elvis once said, “I never expected to be anyone important.”
Imagine that!
Of his singing career, Elvis said that he liked “to sing ballads the way Eddie Fisher does and the way Perry Como does. But the way I’m singing now is what makes the money.”
He also said, “I learned how important it is to entertain people and give them a reason to come and watch you play.”
Elvis always seemed surprised by his own success. “When I got outta high school, I was driving a truck. I was just a poor boy from Memphis, Memphis.”
He also sai, “Man, that record came out and was real big in Memphis. They started playing it, and it got real big. Don’t know why-the lyrics had no meaning.”
The King never took his success for granted either. Elvis felt that, “The Lord can give, and the Lord can take away. I might be herding sheep next year.”
Fans know Elvis took a break from his career to serve time in the Army. This is what he had to say about the army: “After a hard day of basic training, you could eat a rattlesnake.”
And also, “The army teaches boys to think like men.”
Of making the movie GI Blues, Elvis said, “The next thing I knew, I was out of the service and making movies again. My first picture was called, GI Blues. I thought I was still in the army.”
The King was also a philosopher. Some of the philosophical sayings of the King?
“Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.”
“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.”
“I’m trying to keep a level head. You have to be careful out in the world. It’s so easy to get turned.”
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.”
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The Advantages of Spirituality
There are bonds between God and His creatures which will never be broken, but if men feel isolated from their Heavenly Father, it is because of their lack of spirituality or lack of faith.
He who does not pray, surrenders to thoughts which are superfluous, material and sometimes unsound, with which, unknowingly, he encourages and fosters destructive wars, but when we pray, our thought, like a radiant sword, destroys the veils of darkness and the bonds of temptation which today are imprisoning many beings, saturates the environment with spirituality, and counteracts the forces of evil.
Spirituality will enable you to feel a great love for God, when you succeed in practicing it; then you will understand the importance of life; you will contemplate its beauty and will find its wisdom. Then, you will surely understand why God, the Father, have called it life.
We must come to comprehend what is the spirituality that God wants from us, so that we will not become confused with a fanatical mysticism, which, instead of facilitating our spirit to understand the Divine lessons, will place before him new darkness.
With faith, with spirituality and with humility, we will attain the true prayer, which will prevent us from becoming victims of the vicissitudes of the Earth, because by living in harmony with the laws that govern our life, everything surrounding us will be at our service.
Keep in mind, that if everyone aspired to be just and good, this valley of tears would be transformed into a world of elevated spirituality. .
Recently I approached a traffic light where a man stood in shabby clothes with a three-legged dog by his side. As I waited for the light to change I looked at this scene with compassion and felt an urge to contribute something. The sign he was carrying indicated that he was homeless. The people in my car commented that he was a strong young man, there were plenty of employment opportunities, and why should anyone give to people who are capable of working. They indicated a kind of mild contempt for this man soliciting funds whom they felt “should” be working. My thoughts were on him and the fact that he cared for and fed this crippled dog. I rolled down the window and gave him several dollars for which he expressed enormous gratitude.
As the companions in my car semi-scolded me for being a sucker and for enabling him to continue to be a beggar I thought of some words of Mother Teresa. “You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God, it was never between you and them anyway.” Truly this was not between me and my friends in the car, nor was it between that homeless man and me. It was between God and me. Something inside of me urged me to extend love and a little cash to the man and his dog. That “something” was a fleeting moment of consulting my soul.
To me, spiritual and physical are not two separate dimensions of reality. I think of spiritual practice as a way of making my life work at a higher level and receiving guidance for handling my problems. The ways in which I do this involve a few simple, basic practices:
Surrender is the most crucial and perhaps most difficult for me. In surrendering, my thoughts are something like this: I simply do not know how to resolve this situation and I am turning it over to the same force that I turn my physical body over to every night when I go to sleep. I trust in this unseen part of me to keep my heart beating, my blood circulating, and so on.
Accessing spiritual solutions means converting my inner thoughts and feelings from discord and disharmony to love. In the spirit of surrender and love I silently chant, “I invite the highest good for all concerned to be here now.” I try to see anger, hatred and disharmony as invitations to surrender and love. With this understanding I have the option to allow spirit to manifest and work through me.
I believe my spirit is inseparable from the infinite. Having a relationship with the infinite part of myself encourages my recognition of spiritual solutions. The awareness of my infinite nature is terrific for putting everything into perspective.
My approach to problem-solving involves cultivating an empty mind. In this space I listen, and allow myself to have complete faith that I will be guided in the direction of resolution. I let go of my ideas about how something should be resolved.
Finding spiritual solutions to my life’s problems always involves generosity and gratefulness. For me, this means giving my life to my soul purpose and being grateful for the opportunity to do so. I believe that I get back from the world what I put out to the world, not only physically but also in terms of my thoughts. So, I recommend spiritual practices that involve being generous and grateful with thoughts as well as actions.
Nurturing a sense of connectedness to everyone and everything invites spiritual solutions. When I see myself as connected I am not looking for occasions to be offended or to judge. I don’t see anyone as my enemy or an obstacle. This is how I relinquish negative self-talk and connect to the solutions that are available to me. In moments of despair I try to affirm, “I see nothing, I hear nothing, I know nothing that is separate from me.”
Finally I choose cheerfulness as a gauge of my level of spiritual consciousness at any given moment. The more cheerful, happy, contented, and satisfied I am feeling, the more aware I am of my connection to spirit. So, does all this mean I’m suggesting that you always give money to people who ask for it? No. But I am suggesting that the next time you see someone asking for money, look at that situation as being between you and your spiritual consciousness - between you and God. Consult your soul and if you feel that you don’t want to give, don’t. But rather than letting anger or judgment rule the moment, offer that person a silent blessing from the part of you that is a part of him. This is consulting your soul.
About The Author:
Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, affectionately called the “father of motivation” by his fans, is one of the most widely known and respected people in the field of self-empowerment. He became a well-known author with his bestselling book, Your Erroneous Zones, and has gone on to write many other self-help classics, including Meditations for Manifesting, Staying on the Path, Your Sacred Self, Everyday Wisdom, and You’ll See It When You Believe It.
Wouldn’t it be great if every time you did something nice for someone, they would do something nice for someone else? Just imagine the ripple effect this could cause.
This is not a new idea. Many people have tried to push the ripples of kindness all over the planet. A prime example, in the movie “Pay it Forward” a little boy decides to do nice things and asked people to do good for others. Also, there are many websites asking people to commit random acts of kindness and then ask the recipient to do something nice for someone else.
It is a great idea.
Recently, I had a number of small cards printed. On the front, Tag! You’re “It”. On the reverse is states “Now, it’s your turn. Do something good for someone else and give them this card. PASS IT ON”
Of course, I was very impressed with myself. I couldn’t tell enough people about what a terrific person I am. Note: there’s a little known personality disorder that I call “Admiration Addiction.” This addiction causes people to dream up more and more ways to impress others with their saintly acts.
How do you tell if you’re a victim of Admiration Addiction?
In my case, it was through these little business cards. Generally, when anyone on the street asks me for money, I give freely. I’ve always felt that gifts of this nature come back to you 10-fold and you really don’t have to be concerned with how the recipient is going to spend the money. If you don’t worry about what the money is used for then, I believe, that’s a sign of unconditional givingwhich is something I continue to strive for.
So, now armed with my new little cards I was ready for the street people. I couldn’t wait for the next person to ask me for money. Finally, at the gas stationmy first victim. When he asked for money, I handed him a couple of dollars and my new little card.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s just a reminder that when you receive an act of kindness you should do something nice for someone else,” I told him imagining the halo hanging above my head.
“Is this a church thing?” he asked.
“No, no, no, I just thought you would want to do something nice for someone else.” I re-emphasized.
“Um, okay,” he said as he walked away.
I just stood there dumbfounded. How could he possibly miss the fact that I was acting in such a god-like way? Where was his admiration of me? Where was his gratitude?
Before I turned to go along my way, I noticed he threw the little card in the trash.
Well, that was it for me. No more unconditional giving on my part. If people can’t be grateful for all the good things I do, then no more. I won’t be pushed around like this.
Admiration Addictionpure and simple.
It took me a few days to realize how ridiculous I had become. In all my effort to be unconditional I had found a very clever way to insist people act in the way I thought they should. You see, that little card wasn’t a request, I was making a demand for people to do things as I ordered. There’s nothing unconditional about that.
Well, I learned my lesson and I now remember acts of kindness must come from the heart, not the ego. I still give the little card when I give money, or do something nice for others, but I no longer expect them to do anything in return. It is merely a suggestion. And, along with it goes my hope that what I do will make a difference.
Even if what I do doesn’t make a difference, I’ll still do it.
This unconditional thing is tough stuff–but, it’s worth it.
David Zack Holmes is a syndicated writer sharing his personal experiences with a southern flair. To read more features see: http://www.davidzackholmes.com
