I resolve not to use divisive speech. Instead, I will . . .

Contentment is born of the ability

to laugh at oneself unaffectedly.

If we laugh at ourselves first, then others won’t. Instead, they’ll be laughing with us. This way we will be eliminating duality—no me and no other.

We’ll be eliminating egoism—I am an important person who does not make mistakes. And even if I did, no one would dare laugh at me!

We’ll be giving fearlessness—giving another person the okay to smile without the fear of hurting our feelings or embarrassing us. And we’ll be giving ourselves fearlessness too, by realizing that many things we deem meaningful really aren’t. Like pride. Expectations of not making mistakes. Exaggeration of status. These are false measures of a person’s worth.

What matters is that we try to do something as best we can and then see what happens. Made a mistake? Rarely is it life-threatening. If we can forgo self-recrimination—and maybe even find some humor in what happened—we’ll be in a better frame of mind to figure out how to not repeat the mistake.

I resolve not to use false speech. Instead, I will . . .

Aspirations? Or expectations?

Aspirations are our wish to achieve things. Expectations are the belief that something will happen.

Aspirations involve what happens inside us. Arising from within, they require action on our part. I aspire to help others. I aspire to be a more understanding person. I aspire to enjoy the day whether the sun shines or the rain pours down.

Expectations often involve what happens outside us. I expect others to appreciate my help, my partner to agree with my dinner plans, the sun to shine while the rain holds off.

Aspirations show our higher goals. I aspire to be more patient, to spend more time with my children, to be a model of goodness, to meet my parent’s ideals for me.

Expectations are more ordinary. Because expectations often involve others, outcomes are unpredictable, which invariably translates to unhappiness

.

An aspiration is a wish that I act on, but an expectation can depend on others to perform or a situation to unfold as I want. Expectations often bind us to disappointment.

Aspirations enable us to soar.