Getting Lucky - Breathing Space Blog

Unlucky people miss out on random opportunities because they're too busy seeking something else. Lucky people see what is present beyond only what they're seeking.

Being Hacked offers No Breathing Space - Breathing Space Blog

Using any of these 25 passwords is highly risky. A hacked password equals no breathing space. Instead make up something more complex, with random letters and numbers, such as ij6kf40d1. Or use an acronym and numbers known only to you, such a mwdSina8 ("my wonderful dog Skippy is now age 8").

These are a hackers delight:

      1. 123456
      2. password
      3. 12345
      4. 12345678
      5. qwerty

      6. 123456789
      7. 1234
      8. baseball
      9. dragon
    10. football

    11. 1234567
    12. monkey
    13. letmein
    14. abc123
    15. 111111

    16.mustang
    17. access
    18. shadow
    19. master
    20. michael

    21. superman
    22. 696969
    23. 123123
    24. batman)
    25. trustno1

Notes from Ritual: by Emma Restall Orr - Breathing Space Blog

Notes from Ritual: A Guide to Life, Love, and Inspiration by Emma Restall Orr

* In our busy modern schedules, rituals are often seriously lacking.  Yet, they can bring richness and meaning to our daily habits.

* We can use rituals to bring the sacred into everyday life.

* A walk through the park or lighting a candle to welcome the day allows us to reconnect with each other and our own psych.

* In an era when many of us live far from our families and most people don’t know their neighbors, rituals offer a feeling of community and belonging.

* Rituals enrich our sense of who we are both individually and collectively. 

* Rituals can be easily adapted to suit any event or occasions and fit within any reader’s own spiritual tradition. 

 * Rituals can be devised to celebrate a marriage, welcome and name a child, deal with grief, deepen our creativity, heighten our sexuality, enhance our mealtimes, and energize our lives throughout the life cycle.

The Breathing Space Institute Platform - Breathing Space Blog

Here are the five pillars of the Breathing Space Institute Platform

Population
        Replacement-level human population is the practical and ethical approach to ensuring a sustainable quality of life on this planet – for human beings and other remaining species. Responsible parenting is the most important element of society.

Information
        As producers of information, each of us needs to control the amount of data we offer to others so as to not inundate or overwhelm them. As consumers of information, we need to be discriminating about what we ingest and realize the counterproductive impact of taking in more information than we can reasonably assimilate.

Media Growth
        The need for responsible reporting has never been more critical. Tabloid and innuendo journalism is tearing at the fabric of our society. Media professionals and their audiences must overcome the prevailing  predisposition of focusing attention on 1) disasters, 2) scandals, 3) personal attacks, and 4) news that fails to convey a balanced view of society. 

Too Much Paper
        Paper still remains the medium by which most information in our society is distributed. Each of us faces the challenge of adopting new measures to limit the amount of paper on our desks. Such measures include more selectively targeting message recipients, limiting the length and frequency of messages, and recycling.

An Over-abundance of Choices
        No one benefits by being confronted with more choices than he/she can sensibly consider. As producers, we need to offer appropriate choices that best serve consumers. As consumers, we need to ignore many of the choices confronting us.

Have Some Breathing Space - Breathing Space Blog

What would it be like to be beamed back to 1820 with an iPod in your hand? No one would know anything about these devices. You might be deemed a sorcerer or witch. Today, we know that much of what we do not understand or cannot see exists, i.e., ultrasonic waves, television remote control, smart phones, CAT scans, and black holes to name a few of thousands of examples.

Suppose you were beamed to the year 2030 and told that you could handle all of the information confronting you, never need to feel behind, and feel the clock slowing down. What's more, suppose you were told there was no reason to have headaches, or that you could approach nearly everything in your career with grace and ease, because it was possible now. Would this be sorcery? Not really, because each of these capabilities are possible today.

While no one lives a life of complete Breathing Space, there are some among us who recognize the limits of our days, weeks, years, careers, and lives, versus the infinity of that which competes for our time and attention. Even in tough situations, if you have a vivid portrayal of what you face, you can map out an approach that will bring you to higher ground.

During the darkest days of World War II, when London endured the Blitz (fire-bombing) and many citizens feared they would become slaves to the brutal Third Reich, Winston Churchill assessed this ultimate challenge, and concluded what he had to do to be triumphant (drag the Americans into the war). He then proceeded to do precisely that.

None of the Breathing Space concerns that you face in your career or your life are insurmountable, although they might be annoying and relentless. To have Breathing Space in your life requires regularly practicing Breathing Space principles. You wouldn't take a bath once a week whether you needed it or not; you clean yourself often. The same is true with having Breathing Space. 

Hoarding Is Hazardous - Breathing Space Blog

The New York Times (2013): "An estimated 3 percent to 5 percent of Americans suffer from hoarding, which was officially recognized as a disorder this month in a psychiatric diagnostic manual. But the impact of hoarding extends beyond the afflicted individual and relatives in the home: the behavior can also put immediate neighbors at risk, by creating perfect conditions for explosive house fires and infestations of vermin and disease."

"Across the country, local officials... have begun grappling with hoarding as a serious public health hazard. More than 85 communities -- from San Jose, California, to Wichita, Kansas, to Portland, Maine -- have established task forces, hoping to stave off catastrophes and help hoarders turn their lives around."

"One Polite Request at a Time" - Breathing Space Blog

As a boy, Benjamin Franklin asked the governor of Pennsylvania for a book. In his autobiography, Franklin cites that moment as the beginning of his publishing career.

He also learned the importance of asking people for favors. People will then ask you for a favor in return, and thus one forms a free exchange, the foundation of all business: "one polite request at a time."

And, one polite request at a time is anexcellent way to approach your day and maintain a sense of breathing space.