Dennis Merritt Jones > Quotes

“Many of us live in denial of who we truly are because we fear losing someone or something-and there are times that if we don't rock the boat, too often the one we lose is ourselves...It feels good to be accepted, loved, and approved of by others, but often the membership fee to belong to that club is far too high of a price to pay.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones

“In Zen, there is an old saying: The obstacle is the path. Know that a whole and happy life is not free of obstacles. Quite the contrary, a whole and happy life is riddled with obstacles-they simply become the very stepping-stones that help lift us to a new perspective. It is not what happens to us in this life that shapes us, it is how we choose to respond to what happens to us.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life

“Why do we resist the mystery that change brings? When we get too rigid and inflexible, rigor mortis of the soul sets in. For proof of this, we need look no further than to those who choose to stay in a relationship or job long after the soul, or life force, that originally brought it passion and joy has vacated the premises.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Have you ever taken yourself a bit too seriously, thinking that who you are is actually defined by what you look like, how much talent you have (or don't have), how well known you are (or aren't), or how much money you have (or don't have)? Those are all "garments and labels" you wear during the course of your stay here on this planet, but it's not who you are. At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, you will turn all of that back in just like a car you had on lease.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life

“It is clear we exist in an abundant living Universe that knows no restriction—only the impulse to eternally expand with no limits or boundaries, perpetually becoming more of what it is and can ever be—star-stuff . . . Life, pushing out by creating light and matter from within itself, shaping and giving form to itself, exquisitely clothing itself in an infinite and unique number of ways.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“Have you ever stopped to consider the number of choices you make daily Paradoxically speaking, every time you have a choice to make and you don't make it, by default, you are making a choice not to make a choice, which is, of course, a choice. You have no choice in the matter. This is an important question because the more conscious you are about your choices, the more likely it is you will end up where you want to be at the end of your stay on this planet.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Redefining moments offer us the opportunity to perpetually re-invent ourselves, and as long as we occupy a human body, these opportunities will continue to present themselves. You were born to be you, to unfold the truth of who you are. The same is true for everyone else. Every moment has the potential to be a redefining moment when we utilize the opportunity to look more deeply into the mystery of the true Self and learn how to actualize Its qualities in our daily lives. The goal is to increase our awareness that, irrespective of where we are or what we are doing, there stands before us a door in every present moment that, when consciously opened, invites us to step into a deeper knowing of who we truly are. In other words, every encounter (chance or otherwise), event, or circumstance, be it good or bad, right or wrong, happy or sad, is a portal to a redefining moment and who we will choose to be in that situation. The question to consider is, will we be consciously present enough in the moment to recognize the opening when it occurs and step through the door, or will our mind be too full of distractions?”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“One of the telltale signs of one who has completely embraced their authentic self is that they are, with great consistency, the same person in public as they are behind closed doors. Until you learn how to access your authentic voice, the uniqueness of who you truly are will never be fully realized. What makes you special (just like everyone else) is that you were placed here on this planet to express the one-of-a-kind being only you can be.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“It can be very seductive to tell our story to others who will listen because, lets face it, who doesn't love to 'commiserate' (in this context, meaning to share their misery) with other likeminded people. It justifies our attachment to the drama. The interesting thing about telling our story over and over is that it becomes even more deeply ingrained in our minds each time we tell it, and the universe delights in keeping whatever we claim as our story alive.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“We were born to be free, to expand our horizons by going where we have never gone before, and not to hang out in the relative comfort and safety of the nest, the known. There is a place within us that is courageous beyond our human understanding; it yearns to explore beyond the boundaries of our daily life.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones

“Inherent in every living thing is an insatiable hunger, the innate desire to express life by freely and fully being “what” it was uniquely created to be. To personalize this, consider the possibility that there was a time when you were a “what” before you were a “who.” If you can wrap your mind around that possibility, then, the question to explore is, what were you before you became a who—and why did you become the who you uniquely are when there are so many other “who”s on the planet you might have been? While this may seem like a bit of a paradoxi- cal tongue twister, it is the quintessential question that requires exploration if you are to follow your true North Star back to your point of origin, where you’ll find your authentic self waiting to weave itself into the fabric of your human life today and every day.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“To learn more, we have to be willing to leave the zone of the known and step into the void.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Where do we find happiness? Unfortunately, the common belief with most people is that happiness is something that happens to them when conditions are just right rather than something that happens through them when they choose to make space for it. While outer conditions may stimulate the feeling of happiness, it can never come from anywhere other than within us. Authentic happiness isn't something we can go out and get, buy, borrow, or steal. Nor can any form of artificial sensory stimulus generate true happiness; it's only something we can be, and it's a choice we make with every breath we take.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life

“Are you aware of this acronym for F.E.A.R: False Evidence Appearing Real.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“If we were to excavate the deepest recesses of our consciousness, we would discover many beliefs about ourselves that are simply not true and that may never have been true. Yet we live from these beliefs as if they were true because we have never identified them clearly enough to question them, to challenge them.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“Herein lies the paradox: If you want more of whatever it is you desire, you have to first prove to the universe that you are capable of having it by developing a consciousness that affirms there is no shortage of it. The only way to do this is by creating a vacuum or space for it to be received, and the only way you can create a space for it to be received is by letting go of what you do have, trusting that the universe knows what it is doing. That's the law of circulation in action.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life

“Mindfulness Makes the Mystery Meaningful”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“This too shall pass.” It confirms that you can and should expect change and Uncertainty as a natural part of your life experience because nothing (and no thing) lasts forever. The sooner you learn this life lesson, the less you shall suffer.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses‚ only results. —ART TUROCK”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Driven by fear, people run for security to mountains and forests, to sacred spots and shrines. But none of these can be a safe refuge, because they cannot free the mind from fear. —THE DHAMMAPADA”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“To come to be you must have a vision of Being, a Dream, a Purpose, and a Principle. You will become what your vision is. —PETER NIVIO ZARLENGA”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“You don't have to go on a quest to "find" silence-it's a matter of uncovering it right where you are. Think about it: if all external and internal sounds were eliminated, only silence would remain. The question is, how much silence can you bear? How deep are you willing to go below surface living to reconnect with who you truly are?”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it. —ARNOLD H. GLASOW”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Life probably does not hand us any more visceral experience of how we mistakenly define ourselves than by means of our physical body. From the day we were born, the message we received from the world was that we are our body. This was the first great lie we were given by means of the collective consciousness of humankind, which has always valued itself from the outside in.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. —BUDDHA”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“The keys to patience are acceptance and faith. Accept things as they are, and look realistically at the world around you. Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen. —RALPH MARSTON”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into. —WAYNE DYER”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry—it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry—it’ll change! —JOHN A. SIMONE, SR.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It

“Living closer to the center of our being is the practice of a lifetime, but so, too, is skillfully living on the horizontal plane-the surface of life-where our purpose for being on the planet is uniquely expressed. Redefining moments are simply energy vortexes that draw the authentic self up (vertically) and out (horizontally) and into present moment awareness, revealing it to the light of day and the gifts it holds.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, Your Redefining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be

“Many people are so busy just doing life, getting by day to day, that they lose touch with the deeper purpose and meaning of life itself. They wander aimlessly from day to day and, as days turn into years, on the final day of their journey here, they look back and think, “That’s it? Where was the juice and sweetness and meaning of being here?” Without a vision, our life’s journey can seem meaningless.”
― Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It