On Sunday, the family of author and inspirational guru Wayne Dyer released news of his passing on his Facebook page. The post read: “Wayne has left his body, passing away through the night. He always said he couldn’t wait for this next adventure to begin and had no fear of dying. Our hearts are broken, but we smile to think of how much our scurvy elephant will enjoy the other side. We Love You Forever Dad/Wayne. The Dyer Family”
Wayne Dyer, known to many as the “Father of Motivation,” espoused positive thinking and what could be described as spiritual awareness or mindfulness. He was the author of more than 40 books, nearly half of which made the New York Times bestsellers list. He was a regular on a number of television shows and his fans included celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009.
The cause of Dyer’s death has not been released. We at The Alternative Daily would like to invite our readers to reflect on a few of Dyer’s most memorable teachings.
“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”
There is nothing wrong with feeling angry or hurt if someone says or does something unkind to you. However, reacting with similar unkindness — or allowing yourself to get swept away by the stories you create about why that person behaved the way they did — will only serve to bring you down. Experience your feelings, then let them go and react with mindfulness.
“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.”
For most of us, there is an inclination to judge our experiences as “good” or “bad,” and that characterizes the way we react to those experiences. However, the reality is, each experience is just another step on the journey. Yes, some are quite difficult, and it is perfectly natural to feel stressed, angry, or sad when going through challenges. However, when we begin to see that the challenges are not inherently “bad,” and are most likely teaching us what we need to know in order to move on to bigger and better things, they start to feel more manageable.
“You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.”
It is so easy to feel like a victim of fate. And of course, some people have more advantages in life than others, and this is not necessarily fair. There are real struggles that may make it hard for us to create the kinds of changes that we’d like to — maybe we’re facing challenges when it comes to money or health. But the truth is, we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic situations. We can change how we approach our lives.
And even if we can’t immediately change the tangible, concrete circumstances of our lives, we can begin to look at our experiences from a more positive, empowered perspective. When we do this, the shifts that tend to occur are often quite powerful.
Thanks for the motivation Dr. Dyer… your words will carry on!
—The Alternative Daily
