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Hand Over Hand

15 Sep

Climbing a rope is hard. No matter how much we weigh, pulling our entire bodies up inch by inch is strenuous and difficult. If we are very strong it’s easier but the first time we try we may be surprised at how much effort it takes to pull up even the smallest bit. Hand over hand we pull and each tug takes us up a little further. If the rope is long and we want to reach the top it requires constant strain and determination. It’s hard work but once we’ve completed the task, the reward will be great. When we’re trying to accomplish something difficult it can be like climbing a rope. We pull and reach and make a little progress but if it’s complicated every step forward may take serious effort. Big challenges take time but each step forward takes us a little closer to the goal. If we get tired we can rest, and the goal will wait for us. We are capable of focusing on where we want to go and there isn’t anything we can’t accomplish if we want to badly enough. We can pull and tug taking each step with determination and we can overcome any obstacle in our way.

There are countless opportunities in life. There is no end to what we can learn and experience if we choose to. We can change our lives any way we want to – learn a new language, travel the world, teach a class, go skydiving, become a chef, run a marathon, or anything else we can imagine. There is more to do and see and learn than we could ever accomplish. Every new activity will take us out of our norm. We may be uncomfortable at the beginning as we learn the new skills and the change in environment may be foreign to us. But we are extremely flexible and there isn’t anything we can’t adapt to if our motivation is sufficient. If we want to do something new all it takes is the decision to do it and the determination to master it.

If we like we can have predictable and comfortable lives and never think about changing or attempting to climb any ropes. We know where we are, we know what to expect, and there is comfort in routine. But routine will only give us the growth we can find in doing the same things. Of course, we can become experts where we are and that is a noble goal, but new experiences will open the doors to growth and understanding. If we are timid, we can try new things that are similar to what is familiar. If we are more adventurous we can go far out of our reach and do something entirely different. Our personal experiences are up to us but the further we reach the more we’ll learn and the more confident we will become. We are capable of conquering new goals and stretching our abilities. We are often stronger and more flexible than we think and we may find we are far more courageous than we may have imagined.

Today if you’ve been pulling and tugging to get further down the road and you’re feeling the strain, keep moving forward. If you’ve been comfortable and want to stretch, reach out and grab hold of something new. You have everything you need to succeed and are stronger and more capable than you imagine. Press forward. There isn’t anything you can’t do and you’ll reach any goal you set your sights on.

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For Us

23 Aug

We interact with all kinds of people as we go through our lives and as we develop relationships we learn new things and understand more about who we are. Sometimes our friendships and close relationships bring us happiness, and sometimes we struggle with conflict. It’s inevitable that we’ll be hurt at some point. Someone will do or say something that is offensive and we feel the sting of pain. If the damage is great enough it may threaten the relationship or even sever our ties completely. When that happens we may carry the pain forward with us. How long we hold onto it depends on what we do. Sometimes we are able to let it go and move forward but sometimes it stays with us and we struggle trying to find our way. If a relationship has been severed, we may grieve for the loss. It can be hard to get over a deep disappointment or devastating personal injury. We may be angry at the person who hurt us and we may find it hard to forgive their actions. We may get stuck unable to move forward as we try to understand what’s happened and how to cope with the loss.

Forgiveness means to be able to stop blaming or be angry with someone else for something they’ve done. When we’re hurt and feeling bad our lives are impacted and we may be stalled as we try to navigate through. If we feel betrayed and sad it’s hard to find happiness. The disappointment may control our focus and we may get stuck trying to find our way. When we’re able to forgive we can begin to let go of the pain we’ve been carrying and move forward, and any guilt or sorrow may be assuaged. We all understand that forgiveness is a blessing for the person who commits an offense. But when we are able to forgive it changes the situation for us as well. Forgiveness brings relief from pain and anger. We can let go of the sorrow and start again. In the end, forgiveness is as much for us as for those who hurt us.

We deserve every happiness and success. Our lives belong to us and we can strive for all our dreams. But things will go wrong from time to time and we will be hurt. Getting derailed by pain and loss can hold us back and prevent us from moving forward. As long as we allow the pain to have control over us we will be stuck. When things go wrong, we can’t change what has happened but we can determine to do what is needed to release us from what is holding us back. Forgiveness is the key that will unlock the gate and let us move past. It’s a gift we give to ourselves to set us free. We can choose it and allow the pain to recede so we can walk past it and onto to our goals. We have everything we need to find happiness. We can do anything. Learning to forgive will help us accomplish everything.

Today if you’re hurt from something someone has done, and if you feel stuck and are suffering, you have the power to change it. Consider what has happened and learn what you can, and then forgive. Let it go and move into the light again. There are so many wonderful gifts waiting for you. Open the gate to forgiveness and walk toward them. You can do anything and you have all the power you need. Move forward. Happiness is there for you.

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The Destination

15 Aug

Whatever we’re doing in our lives we are headed somewhere.  Our lives change every day in some way and even if we’re doing the same thing today we did yesterday, we are on the road to something new.  The destination may end up being a modified version of exactly where we are now if that’s what we want, or it could be someplace very different.  Every experience brings us information and teaches us something.  Our lives are ours to direct and we can use our experiences to point the way forward.  They say we always do what we want to do most and that’s generally true.  We can move toward a new goal or stay where we are.  We get to choose but one thing is sure, we will arrive at the destination we’re traveling toward.  If we’re on a road we don’t want to travel but do nothing to step away, we will go where it takes us.  Conversely, if we decide we want something different we can change our direction at any time.

Some people bemoan their lives and say they never got to do this or that and are unhappy with the way things turned out.  There are some circumstances that may prevent us from doing things we want to do at the moment, but nothing is permanent and everything changes.  When the tide turns, as it inevitably will, we can change our focus and move in the direction we want to go.  But everything takes effort.  There is no free lunch in life.  If we want something we can generally get it but we’ll have to do what it takes to achieve it.  If the cost is more than we want to cover, we can let the goal go.  We can make the decision not to pursue it.  Our lives belong to us and we can manage them any way we want to.  But if there’s something we want to achieve and  things don’t work out the first time we try, instead of complaining about the loss we can keep our eyes focused on the future and when the situation changes we can try again.  There is no limit to the number of times we can open new doors.  If we’re persistent and keep our eyes on the prize we will attain it.

Personal courage is needed when we want to make a change or seek a new goal.  We have to believe we are capable of achieving it and then be brave enough to move forward and do what it takes.  It’s easy to get stuck and complacent, and ignore dreams we want to achieve.  But each day is a chance to start again.  It doesn’t matter if we’ve let things go before, we can start any time we’re ready.  If we missed the chance the last time, we can grab it now.  There is no time limit for success.  It comes to us when we are ready to achieve it.  It’s always there waiting for us.  We can take control of our lives and begin the journey to the destination we want most.  We can move forward day by day and step by step and we can win.  We have everything we need to be successful.  We are strong and capable and we know what we want.

Today if you’ve been waiting to move forward toward a desired destination, take the first step.  You know where you want to go and what you want to do.  You have all the courage and strength you need to get there.  Start moving.  Success is waiting for you.  Go get it.

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Failing With Glory

3 Aug

Sometimes our plans don’t work out and what we want to do fails.  Even if we do everything right and follow through effectively, there will be times when things go wrong and we don’t succeed.  There are thousands of reasons why it happens.  Maybe the influence of others involved stopped our progress.  Maybe the timing was wrong.  Maybe the idea was great but not a good fit.  We might see clearly at the end why things didn’t work out or we might never understand how we failed.  Failure is something we all experience from time to time.  We never plan on it and hope we don’t face it but we probably won’t succeed every time we try something.  Even if our plans fail, there is glory in doing our best.  If we did all we could, even if we fail we are magnified.  We can fail with glory if we were honorable and diligent in the struggle.  Failure doesn’t mean we can’t succeed, but an indication we need to change direction.  Despite the disappointment, we can learn from the experience, feel good about what we did accomplish, and move forward confidently.

Sometimes after we’ve failed at something we may see the new road we’re on is better than if we had succeeded.  We can’t see the future and when we’re striving to accomplish something we really don’t know exactly how it will look in the end.  We try to plan and prepare but there will always be unexpected developments and things we can’t see.  If we fail and it turns out the failure created a better situation than we would have had otherwise we feel happy.  It’s nice when things work out despite our plans falling through.  But we can feel happy even if the road we end up on isn’t better.  The glory is in the doing.  If we’ve done our best, we’ve learned new things and are wiser for the experience.  The end result isn’t where we grow.  Growth comes as we work toward the goal.  Not reaching it is disappointing but we can still be happy with what we learn and accomplish on the way.

They say, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  There is no limit to the number of times we can try to accomplish something.  We can get more information or find another way to get to the goal and try again.  If that doesn’t work we can try another way.  We can pursue anything for as long as we like and we may find success or we may be continually daunted.  If we try several times and can’t reach a goal we may set it aside and work on other things.  Sometimes timing is an issue and we need to wait for our lives or the situation to change before we can find success.  And there may be times when success isn’t possible and we have to change our plans.  We can let it go and move forward in another direction.  We can fail with glory, be happy with what we accomplished, and move forward.

Today if you’re facing failure for something you’ve worked hard on be happy with what you’ve done.  You’ve learned a lot and although the goal was not achieved, you know more now than you did before.  Go forward with confidence.  You will accomplish many great things.  Be brave.  Success will come again.

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Climbing

26 Jul

Every experience we have in our lives teaches us something. Every time we try to reach a new destination or goal we stretch in new ways and learn new things. When we have our eyes focused on where we want to be and are striving for it, sometimes all we can think about is how great it will be when we get there. It’s nice to reach the summit and we feel great when we succeed, but the goal itself isn’t what teaches us. All the work and all the benefit come from the climb to get there. As we take each step up a little further, and push ourselves to continue despite hardship and struggle, we become stronger and wiser. The rocks in our way, the detours that confound us and the missed turns that make us go back and start again are the blessings in the journey. We sometimes forget that and think the blessing lies in reaching the goal. It’s great when we succeed but once we’ve arrived at the destination, the growth we gained to reach it is what makes us who we are. The determination it takes on the road that gets us there is what defines and shapes us. If we can remember that when the road is long or difficult it will help us hold onto our confidence as we push forward.

If we want to be limber and flexible, we stretch our muscles. We pull on them in different ways to enable them to become nimbler and loose. As we do, we develop the ability to reach further and bend deeper. When we feel stiff or sore, stretching helps us loosen up and relax. Just like our muscles, when we stretch what we can do and where we want to go, we are able to reach further and attain more. We learn with every step forward as we loosen up and find our way. If we stay in the same place and don’t try anything new, our lives may become stagnate and stiff. Sameness may be comfortable in its predictability but it can’t teach us anything new. We can reach for something different and try for another challenge. When we stretch our abilities we’ll become more flexible as we learn new patterns and experience new roads. This life is filled with opportunity. If we keep moving forward and learn as much as possible our lives will be rich and filled with growth. We can become anything we set our minds on and we can do anything we want to do.

Sometimes when we reach for new things we encounter difficulty and confusion as we try to find our way. If something stops us, we can back up and try another route. If we are challenged, we can learn to solve new problems and find the way forward. There are few things we can’t accomplish if we want to. If we stop at the first roadblock and decide it’s not worth the trouble, we can return to things as they were and stay the same. We can have mediocre lives if we want them. They are easy to achieve and take little effort. But if we really want true happiness and success, we can try harder and push further to reach it. We are capable of doing anything. There isn’t anything too hard for us. We can fill our lives with incredible experiences and new horizons, and be fulfilled and happy.

Today if you’re thinking about trying something new but aren’t sure, you can do it. You can reach any goal you set your mind to. Climb a little further. And then do it again. You have everything you need to do anything you want. There is nothing you can’t achieve.

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