MAXIMIZE LIFE BY LIVING FOR PEACE, HARMONY, AND JOY

About the Book

“Maximize Life by Living for Peace, Harmony, and Joy” is about living each moment every day and realizing that life is what you make it. Each chapter is organized on a single page by theme followed by an open description of the author’s personal experience. It presents a model for readers to write their own stories, plumbing their past and looking ahead to their futures. This intensely personal book lays bare the author’s experience with the intent that the reader will do the same for his/her own sake, and, like the author, end the better for it.

Chapter examples are as follows:

For every act of violence, there are thousands of acts of human kindness. We read and hear about acts of violence and hatred taking place everywhere in the world, and it is easy to allow this bad news to obfuscate all the wonderful and kind acts that occur every moment of every day.

Whenever someone is in need, there is always some kind soul to help. Whenever there is a job to be done, there is always someone ready to step forward and help get it done. Whenever there is a tragedy, there are always people who go out of their way to assist. There is never a shortage of kind, gentle, and helping people. Out of every need, out of every job that has to get done, out of every tragedy comes the absolute beauty of human kindness with its clarion call that life is a priceless gift without compare. Open your life to the goodness all around you.

ME - I see acts of human kindness from the time I get up in the morning until I go to sleep at night. Whenever there is an accident on the road, people always stop to help. Whenever I am short-staffed at BARC, people always step forward to help. Whenever I travel, people are always available to help me find my way; they even offer food and shelter. I no longer watch the news on television because of its overwhelming emphasis on negative, twisted kharma; all I see are people hurting other people, fires, and natural disasters. I much prefer to watch my neighbor cut the lawn of our elderly neighbor or teach his children how to ride their bicycles.

YOU -

Being upset usually serves no useful purpose because it can take you away from the determination that success requires. When we’re upset, we tend to make foolish and unnecessary mistakes that leave us further rather than closer to our goal. Being upset from an emotionally trying event is natural and healthy; carrying the upset for days or weeks after the emotionally trying event is unhealthy and unnecessary as it serves no useful purpose…it only keeps you stuck on the things that have become part of your historical past. Being upset about future events is also needless and unhealthy since your rumination is not useful.

If you encounter obstacles, accept them, live with them, and keep moving toward whatever it is you want, with renewed determination and assuredness.

ME - When I am upset, it goes right to my digestive system. I now know that if I could more quickly express my feelings of anger, I could avoid a lot of time in the bathroom. I have learned, through many years of practice, to let go of being upset for some future event. I was able to accomplish this in a step-by-step fashion: 1. I remind myself that being upset is of no value; 2. I concentrate on not ruminating about what’s upsetting me by doing other things; 3. I remind myself of my past experience with the futility of being upset; 4. I reduce the time I devote to being upset; 5. I stop feeling upset.

YOU –

Live a worry free life. When you analyze your worry, you will find it needless since it is usually about things you cannot control anyway: someone’s illness, the weather, how people will perceive you. Value does not emanate from worry; anxiety and fear emanate from worry. Why not stop worrying and just be?

Begin by transforming your worry into some positive action. If you are worried about your speech to the Ki

About the Author

Robert H. Schram has a BA in Political Science, a MA in Personnel/Counseling and a Doctorate in Public Administration. He has been the Executive Director of BARC Developmental Services, a large nonprofit organization serving children and adults with intellectual disabilities and Autism since 1977. He teaches, consults, and gives expert testimony on various subjects: leadership; conflict management; dispute resolution; fundraising; strategic planning; discrimination; abuse; company policies, practices, and procedures; workplace safety. He is a Fellow in the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the author of nine previous books on various subjects: maximizing life; religion and the Divine; dreams; travel; technology; and company management.