Peaceful Warrior - Q7

How do you "Take out the trash. Clear your mind of everything you don't need" (doubt, past failures, future victories,... etc.)?


To "take out the trash", you must think only of this moment. 
It can be hard to clear your mind when you doubt yourself, or think negatively. Instead of dwelling on something that you did in the past, or dreaming about something you want to do, you have to think of the moment, and live in it.
When you get up in the morning, think of your life as something that's brand new. Take a look at everything and everyone as if you had never seen them before, instead of judging them by something that happened yesterday, or what might happen based on last week. 
"Take out the trash. Clear your mind." 
The whole new outlook on life that this can bring you is one of the best things that you can have. 

Peaceful Warrior - Q5

Why would you give the advice "Don't fall into the trap - If only I had this, I'd be... If only..., I'd get to be happy." What is a better way to think?

I would give this advice to anyone, whatever they were doing. We all think like that at different times in our lives, but learning from and enjoying the journey is just as important, or even more so than the goal.

I believe that a better way to think than "If only..." is to think in a way that also gives thought to the journey. For example, for Dan's goal of getting the gold medal at the Olympics, he could have thought something like "Even if I love gymnastics this much, it's going to be tough to put in enough training to help me become even better than I am now. But if I give this my best effort, I'll be able to reach gold."

Instead of concentrating on just the goal, we should be thinking of how to get there, and doing it. 

Mind Over Matter

To anyone, the words "mind over matter" might just be a saying. Three words. A touch of alliteration. However, to me it means to not just use your brain, but your mind to overcome any obstacles in the way, whether they are physical or mental.
Those who use only their brain, or don't use them at all won't get far in challenging situations. For example, when I play Speed, I can't concentrate and use my mind because I am too caught up in playing quickly, which is why I usually lose. This is usually the most use of mind over (or under) matter for me.
But to many other people, mind over matter can mean using their minds to save possessions, homes, family, or themselves. Thanks to using their minds, people can save what is most precious to them. Athletes, students, gamers, professors and literally everyone in the world need to use mind over matter to succeed with whatever they are doing.
In this way, mind over matter is not just a saying. It is a lifesaver, and that is what it means to me.

Bruno Torfs

Bruno Torfs was born in South America, and lived there with his family until the age of fifteen. Bruno's main inspiration for creating paintings and sculptures was his father and a young sculptor. He trained and worked as a signwriter.
In Bruno's Art and Sculpture Garden, there are over one hundred and fifteen sculptures on display.

However, on the 7th of February, bushfires swept through Marysville, including Bruno's sculpture garden. Through the support of family, friends, acquaintances and strangers from all around the world, Bruno and his family were inspired to stay in Marysville and rebuild their beloved home and garden. Helped by friends and volunteers, the process of rebuilding the garden took two months.

The words of Bruno were full of connotations, such as "the fire deeply touched us all in many ways", indicating the devastating effects of the bushfires on many Australians, "people had a heart for each other, that when things really got dark, the best in us comes out", meaning that people would help each other even when disasters were happening, and people would show their good, caring side. When Bruno said "life also provides us opportunities to gain a new vision, lots of new friends and a blank canvas to play", it meant that there are chances to see life in different ways, gain new friends and a fresh start in life. "The green is slowly returning and the rivers are flowing, finding new ways" is his way of saying that Nature is recovering and becoming stronger by itself while humans also recover from the fires.
Bruno's story suggest that when we are faced with something terrible, we will find something good in ourself and become stronger and kinder in order to help ourselves and other people, as well as gaining insight into the world and ourselves.

Despite the obstacles he has faced, Bruno has maintained a positive outlook and is determined to keep sharing his love of art and life with the world.