Out-Smarting Your Karma

Not one to be typecast, Barry Neil Kaufman, the author of Son-Rise and its sequel (about breakthrough experiences with an autistic son), Happiness Is A Choice and A Sacred Dying has come up with a super little collection just right for sharing. Few-word pithy little quickies are gleefully illustrated by Laurie Campbell.

Sometimes it is the simplest thought that allows us to cut through the clutter of confusion and, in a moment of time, reframe our beliefs and worldviews. These reflections and insights...are offered in the hope that they may gently and playfully tickle your mind to question your "reality" ... and inspire you to recreate your thoughts (and therefore your life) so that everyday experiences become more sensible, friendly, fulfilling and empowering.

DISGUISE
Calling it tragic
is my way
of saying
I'm afraid.

CAUSE
I used
to look in the past
for the cause
of what I do,
but lately
I'm finding it
in the future.

FINGER POINTING
"She made me angry."
"He got me upset."
"They make me
frustrated."
When I blame you
for my feelings,
I make myself a victim.
When I take
ownership
for my reactions,
I create opportunities
for change.

ENTRANCE
We can
either wait
to find a doorway
or make one...
it's your move.

REVERENCE
In our prayers,
we tell God what to do.
Fix this. Heal that.
Change him. Change her.
As if we know better
than the intelligence
of the universe.
If we trusted God,
our prayers
would be more
like oceans
of gratitude
and poems
of love.

WIN-WIN
The real meaning
of "win-win"
in relationships:
not judging you
and not judging me.

EYES
I used to believe
I saw with my eyes.

MEMORY
Yesterday
played back today
is no longer yesterday.
It's now.

UNLEARNING
Being myself
is a continual
process of
un-learning.

INTELLIGENCE
An intelligent person
doesn't have
to have
all the answers;
he just knows
where to go
to get them.

TEACHER
A teacher
is not
a cup filler,
but a midwife
who helps
students
give birth
to themselves.

MANIPULATION
I don't know
why he calls me
a control freak.
I just want
my way.

PRELUDE
Butter melts
better on hot toast;
that's why
she kissed him
before they went
to bed.

Out-Smarting Your Karma ($9.95) is available in bookstores everywhere -- or order by calling 1-800-562-7171.

Barry Neil Kaufman and his wife are the co-founders and co-directors of The Option Institute and Fellowship in Sheffield, Massachusetts, an internationally known educational center dedicated to helping people challenged by adversity. The Institute offers year-round programs for individuals, couples, groups and families who are seeking to improve the qualities of their lives. For a free information packet and video on The Option Institute, please call, write or e-mail: The Option Institute, 2080 S. Undermountain Road, Sheffield, MA 01257-9643. Tel: 1-800-71-HAPPY; Fax: 413-229-8931; e-mail: happiness@option.org; home page: http://www.option.org.

Excerpts from Out-Smarting Your Karma and Other PreOrdained Conditions by Barry Neil Kaufman are published with permission of Epic Century Publishers, a division of Epic Communications Corporation, Sheffield, MA. Copyright © 1996 by Barry Neil Kaufman.