Archive | November, 2016

Jigsaw Puzzle

30 Nov

Most of us have worked on a jigsaw puzzle. It’s fun to dump the pieces out on a big surface and start sorting them. The fewer the pieces the easier the puzzle is to complete. Complicated puzzles with hundreds of pieces take longer and instead of putting them all together at once may take days or weeks to complete. They all differ but they are simply pictures cut up waiting for us to bring them together again. Sometimes our lives feel like jigsaw puzzles. The paths we’ve been on may get cut up, the things we had together may get separated, and we may have to put things back together again piece by piece. When the pieces are jumbled up and upside down it’s hard to figure them out but one by one we can turn them over and decide where to put them. We just need time to find the all the pieces and build the picture.

Life rarely goes the way we think it will. There are a lot of variables in everything. Things move and reshape constantly. As we adjust to each modification we may need to change our direction. The goal may stay the same but the road to it may move a little here and there. When we plot a graph, we make clear, straight lines between the defined locations. It looks nice and it’s easy to understand. Unfortunately, life doesn’t exist on graph paper. It’s more like abstract art. A bit of yellow paint here, a streak of red there, some blue thrown in at random and white space in between we have yet to paint. There’s a lot going on and the more we look at it, the more we see. It’s complicated and can be confusing. But we have the power of discernment and can figure out even the most complex of pictures. Like a jigsaw puzzle we can begin to put it all together and find our way.

If we lived in a vacuum we could make our decisions, plot a course forward and be done. We could be in control of everything. There would be no problems or complications, and other people would never be able to interfere with their opinions and decisions. But there will always be others involved in almost everything we do, there will be issues that gum up the works, and unexpected developments will invariably get in the way. As we go, we learn a lot by working through each situation that arrives, find solutions to the problems we encounter and cope with all the personalities around us. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle where we simply put the pieces together in their pre-determined places to create the picture, we have the opportunity to see all the sides of each piece and determine how best to use it. The goals we set determine the pictures we make. We can live our lives any way we want to and accomplish any goal we set. We just need to decide how all the pieces will come together.

Today if you feel like your life is a puzzle torn apart and disconnected you can begin to put things together. Decide where you want to go and what you want to do. Then choose each piece one by one that will take you there. You already have the picture in your mind. You can put it all together and begin moving forward. There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish and you will be successful. Take it one piece at a time and before you know it your life will be the picture you want to create. Success is waiting for you.

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Solo Journey

29 Nov

When we want to accomplish something specific we may have a driving need to move forward that consumes us. We become determined and our focus is laser sharp. If others try to help or join in we may tell them we want to go it alone, preferring to manage all the decisions ourselves and control our progress. But climbing alone will lead us to the summit by ourselves. And when we get to the top there will be no one there to share the victory. It’s great to win but it can feel hallow if there is nobody to celebrate with us. Including others as we move forward heightens our experience and enhances our feelings of accomplishment. When there are others with us to celebrate the victory, it feels more intense and the shared happiness is profound. We can do anything we want to all by ourselves, but if we let others share the journey the reward will be sweeter.

When we’re pushing forward toward a goal we know what we want to do. We make decisions that move us closer to the destination and keep our eyes looking forward. But when we do it all by ourselves we have only the wisdom and insight of one. Everybody has a different perspective and we all have gifts to offer. How we see a situation may be entirely different from the way someone else sees it. If we seek the advice and counsel of others as we press forward we have the benefit of seeing things through other eyes. Being able to understand a situation from someone else’s perspective may open up new avenues for us to follow and new ideas for success. We may see things we couldn’t see before. Letting others in as we move forward will broaden our horizons and may open up completely new roads to the goal.

When we want to get to a destination before anyone else it may be hard to share. We want to be the winner and prove ourselves, by ourselves. We can do anything alone and hope we’ll see every road possible to get there first. We might succeed but if we let others share their impressions and suggestions we have the benefit of many ideas which may get us there faster. We can always fly solo if we want to. We can always do things all by ourselves and show the world how competent and capable we are. But if we open up and let others share the journey we may get to the goal faster and more expertly. Two heads are better than one and two ideas offer more options than one. We can let others in and find glory together. And then at the top when victory is ours the celebration will be richer and more meaningful.

Today if you’ve been working alone and forging ahead by yourself remember those around you. There are many ideas and interpretations to every situation and you can’t see them all. Let others share the journey and enhance the experience by broadening your scope. You’ll get to the destination faster and more successfully. You can’t see every perspective by yourself. Enhance your experience by letting other join the journey. When you get to the end you’ll be happier as you share the victory.

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Getting it Back

28 Nov

There may be times in our lives when things out of our control change what we can do and where we can go. If the change isn’t permanent we may work hard to do whatever is needed to turn things back. We may be determined to get our lives back the way they were before the development interrupted our plans. But sometimes getting our lives back the way they were before everything changed isn’t where we want to be once we have the chance to return. Sometimes during the process of growing, healing, progressing or solving what was in our way we change. We become someone new. Our personalities are the sum of our experiences and everything we experience changes us in some way. What we thought was a detour when it started may turn out to be a course correction. We may find a new road fits us better than the original and discover the path we were on isn’t what we want anymore. We may get our lives back but not exactly the way they were. Life is all about changing and sometimes unexpected developments show us a clearer vision of what we want.

When we’re happy and things are going our way, we don’t want anything to change. Everything is comfortable and we feel content just the way it’s going. But nothing stays the same forever. Change is constant and inevitably something will alter our course. We may be required to adjust our path to continue forward. If we refuse to see the complication before us and hold on tightly to the way things were, it will be impossible for us to go forward. We’ll get stuck holding on to what we think we need and denying what is really happening. Some changes require adjustment and getting used to. Sometimes we need a little time to wrap our heads around what has happened and figure out what to do. We can take the time we need but if we want to continue growing and learning we will have to choose a path and begin taking steps in a new direction. Change can be hard and unsettling but we can manage it. We can find our way even if the road we were on is no longer available.

Nobody can tell the future or see what will come tomorrow. The best we can do is openly evaluate where we are and where we want to go, and then plan our steps forward. There will be complications, there may be problems and we might stumble a time or two. But there isn’t anything we can’t figure out and nothing we can’t solve. With determination and courage, we will see through the twists and turns and find our way. Wherever we are now will change in time. We can embrace the changes as they come and accept them as the natural course of life. We deserve to be happy and we can confidently face anything that comes and plot a successful course forward.

Today if you’re facing a complication that has changed everything and you want your life back the way it was, take a good look at the opportunities available to you. Consider everything that’s possible and plan your way forward. You can handle any changes and developments. You are strong and wise and you will find your way to happiness. You have everything you need already. Your life is yours to design and there isn’t anything you can’t do.

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What Is

22 Nov

Sometimes we want things in our lives to be different than they are. Maybe we aren’t happy in a relationship, maybe we don’t like our jobs, maybe we wish we looked differently, or want a change that has eluded us. There are times when the life we’re living may not be who we really are or where we really want to be. We may wish things were different, we may dream about the situation changing and we may hope our lives will shift to something closer to what we want. We can work toward changing anything we want and modify our lives in ways that make us happier. But until we make the changes needed, we are where we are. Learning to live with what is real right now can help us understand and plan for changes to get us where we want to be. Sometimes when we’re unhappy we may look the other way and pretend things are different than they are. We may ignore the situation and just keep plowing through a life that doesn’t fulfill us. But ignoring a situation never changes it and we deserve to be happy. We can find true happiness by facing our lives as they are, seeing what is right now, and then making a plan to correct our course to get the lives we really want.

Some people have trouble living in the present. They constantly talk about the past and live through their memories or dream about a future that is different than what they’re living. Memories are great and we learn a lot from the lessons of the past but that is behind us and cannot be re-lived. It’s over and although we may revisit it, if we let it control our present it may paralyze us and keep us from moving forward. Dreaming of our future may help us formulate plans to make it a reality but we must do more than dream. Continually thinking about how things could be takes us away from what they are. What is now is what we’re living. If we want to change, we can but simply dreaming about it will do nothing but freeze us in place. If we can openly see and accept where we are we can then decide where we want to go and begin moving forward.

It can be hard to accept difficult changes that come to us. If someone we love leaves us or betrays us, if we get hurt and can no longer use our body the way we have before, or some other severe challenge enters our lives we may find it hard to move forward. We may wish we could go back in time and change things. It may be hard to cope with our new reality and live with our lives as they are. But whether we cope with them and accept them or live in denial, what is real is what we’re living. When we see things as they truly are, we can begin to move forward. Accepting truth opens the doors to understanding and understanding helps us find ways forward to happiness. We can be happy no matter what life gives us. We know what we want and with determination can find our way to any destination we desire.

Today if you’ve been looking the other way and refusing to face a situation in your life that is uncomfortable, remember you deserve to be completely happy. There isn’t anything too difficult or complex for you to face. See everything as it is and make a plan to move forward. You have so much light to offer. Let it shine on you today.

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Overnight Sensation

21 Nov

Overnight Sensation

“Picture an egg. Day after day, it sits there. No one pays attention to it. No one notices it. Certainly no one takes a picture of it or puts it on the cover of a celebrity-focused business magazine. Then one day, the shell cracks and out jumps a chicken.” Good to Great, Jim Collins

When we see famous people who suddenly arrive on the scene they may seem like overnight sensations. One day we never heard of them and the next they’re on the cover of every popular magazine. It’s easy to think of them zooming to the top rung of the ladder all at once but that probably isn’t the truth. Often “overnight sensations” have spent many years pushing forward and working hard to get where they are. Nobody saw them when they were working three jobs to get ahead, or paying their dues for years on end trying to move forward. It’s like an egg. Nobody really pays much attention to them until the day they start to crack and a baby chick presses its way out. Then the egg gets our attention. It seems like a momentous event but in actuality the chicken has been working hard all along. It grows and develops and moves forward each moment until the day comes to break free. Although we may see the hatching as a big deal, it’s just the next step in the process for the chicken. The same is true for success in our lives. It doesn’t usually come overnight and without effort. We must plan and work and prepare for it and once we’ve done what is needed to make it happen, it arrives.

We all have dreams of things we want to accomplish. Some of them are easily attainable and we make plans and get them done. Others are loftier and take more work and time. If we are determined to accomplish a big goal, we must do what is needed to achieve it. We can push through day by day, overcome whatever obstacles stand in our way, and continue forward until we reach success. Once we achieve success it may look to others like it happened overnight. But that isn’t the truth. Nobody will know everything we had to do to get there, or see all the sacrifices we had to make or the problems we had to solve, and there is no way for others to understand all the difficulties we had to face. All they really see is our success.

There are few instances of true overnight successes. While it’s possible that something great could happen to us without any effort that won’t generally happen. We are like the egg working behind the scenes doing what is required to succeed. We have everything we need to accomplish almost anything we desire. It may not happen overnight, but if we work at it and do what we must to move forward, we will achieve success. We can fulfill our dreams step by step and day by day. There really isn’t anything we can’t do and we will succeed.

Today if you’ve been working hard and still haven’t reached your goal, keep moving forward. It may not happen overnight but you have everything you need to win. You will achieve your goal. Success is just around the next turn and you will reach it. Take another step forward. You’re almost there.

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