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Wingspan

7 Oct

When birds fly, they stretch their wings all the way out to use the entire span for lift. They reach and pull to make the most of each stroke so their flight is even, and seemingly effortless. However, nothing that defies gravity is effortless, and in spite of the work it takes, they fly when they want to, and get where they need to be. We don’t have wings, but we have things we need to do and they take effort as well. If we enjoy the task it can seem easy and fun, but no matter what we’re doing we need to make sure it gets done. There is an old saying that anything worth doing is worth doing well. And that’s true. If we’re going to expend any effort, or do anything, we should do it the best way we can.

Some people choose to live a lukewarm existence. They don’t volunteer to do any heavy lifting, they don’t push themselves to be better, and they don’t care if they learn and grow. They are happy keeping things predictable and easy, and they don’t want to stretch. They can’t risk getting sore by doing too much or trying too hard so they keep a low profile and just get by. If we choose to live like that we might have an easier ride overall, and we may not feel great disappointment.  But we also won’t feel great accomplishment or the excitement of changing and growing. We can coast through our days if we like, and give the least amount of effort to the things we do. We can get by doing the minimum amount required, or we can apply ourselves, challenge ourselves and see how far we can go. If we do as little as possible, we probably won’t learn anything new. We’ll get through the task, check if off our lists, and forget about it.

Stretching our wings takes thought and preparation. If we really apply ourselves, if we look to see what new things we can learn, and what real gifts we can offer, our tasks will be more rewarding and we’ll grow as we complete them. Others will notice how much interest we have in the things we do, and if we’re really committed to excellence, will entrust us with their best projects, and their best ideas. We’ll never realize how far we can go if we don’t leave our comfort zone. We’ll never know how much we can learn if we don’t try new things. This life is a time to experiment, to test, to try, and to push ourselves and go as far as we can. If we stretch our wings all the way out, and use all the strength and determination we can, we’ll become stronger, more confident people who understand they can do anything. Nothing will stop us and the world will belong to us.

Today if you’ve been keeping a low profile, if you’ve been doing just enough to get by, try to reach a little further. You have abilities you haven’t yet realized. You can do anything and when you reach for it, you can conquer any circumstance. You are capable of accomplishing whatever you set your mind to. Be confident. Open all the doors and go boldly through each one. You’ve got everything you need to accomplish anything you choose. Spread your wings all the way out and soar. Today, show the world what you’re made of and what you can do.

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Don’t Look

25 Sep

There are sometimes things that come into our lives that are hard to look at. They might be difficult to understand, so unexpected we can’t accept them, or so different from what we want we can’t even look at them. We might choose to look the other way and pretend they don’t exist.  If they pop into our line of vision, we can just avert our gaze. If someone brings them up we can pretend we didn’t hear and change the subject. We can deny they even exist.  But denial is just a way of postponing the inevitable. We will eventually have to face whatever is weighing on us, and denying it now will not prevent us from having to deal with it in the future. Hiding our heads in the sand and refusing to look at the issue will just keep it in stasis. The time in between is time we might use to process the problem, but we have to be careful. Sometimes waiting makes things worse.

How do we face things that seem too difficult for us? How do we look at them when the thought of them makes us shudder? There really isn’t anything we can’t face when we decide to, but sometimes we have to take it slowly, and unravel the problem one bit at a time. If we’ve learned we have a serious health issue, and we’re too afraid to accept it, we could begin by reading some information about it. If we learn about it, and better understand what is happening we may not be so afraid. If someone close to us says they’re leaving us and we don’t think we can face life without them, we could objectively look at our lives and see where we’ve done well in the past. In any difficult situation, we could begin by looking at how we could re-order our lives to accept the new reality we’re facing. We could start by just imagining how we might move forward.

Big changes, big challenges, and sudden complications can knock us down, but that’s only temporary. We’re down because we’re surprised, and we aren’t sure how to navigate. Sitting down and taking a moment can help with that. But we will get up again. We can figure out how to process anything that comes to us. We may need some time, and we might need the help of others, but we will figure it out. Sometimes the most unexpected and seemingly disastrous developments that enter our lives lead us to remarkable changes, and incredible growth. Sometimes they even turn our course to paths we hadn’t previously considered, which bring us increased happiness and peace. Change is not easy. Disappointing and difficult changes are harder. But hiding from them rarely helps. If we face them, we can take it minute by minute, give ourselves time to think and adjust, and get through them. We won’t just survive, we’ll thrive going forward.

Today if you’re trying to adjust to an unexpected and difficult change, and you feel like you’ve had the wind knocked out of you, if you’re stunned and can’t figure out what to do, it’s okay. You’re completely capable of handling this. You don’t need to hide. You don’t have to look the other way. Take small steps. You’ll figure it all out and you’ll go forward. You will find happiness and peace again. It doesn’t matter how many steps you need. Each one will bring you closer to where you want to be.

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Options

20 Sep

Nobody is good at everything. We all do some things well, some things very well, and there are some things we struggle with. They say where there’s a will there’s a way, and often that applies, but there are some gifts we just don’t possess. Perhaps we always wanted to be a ballet dancer but our body can’t manage the rigorous training demands. Maybe we want to be a great singer but we are tone deaf. We have many dreams we hope to achieve, and it’s hard to admit defeat when we want to accomplish something, and can’t make it happen. We can’t always get what we want, and some things will elude us despite our desires and efforts. When that happens it’s important to remember we aren’t failures. It’s impossible to do everything, and although we may not succeed at one thing, we are good at many other things.

Sometimes when we set our sights on a new and lofty goal, we get support from those around us, and sometimes we don’t. There are plenty of people who will try to discourage us no matter what we’re aiming for. Their motivations are theirs and have nothing to do with our decisions. We can try to do anything we choose to and we don’t need the approval of others to go forward. When we have encouragement it makes the task easier as we learn, and if we falter, it’s comforting to have someone in our corner cheering us on. If we succeed, they will rejoice with us. We’ll be happy and feel confident. But sometimes success isn’t possible. When that happens, even if we’re unhappy, we can still feel confident because we tried. We dared to to go after something we wanted. We gave it our all.  And we should cherish that.

Disappointment comes in many ways. It can be insignificant, or it can be devastating. When we are seriously upset over a crushing disappointment, it’s hard to look forward. What we hoped for, and what we wanted so badly, is out of our reach. If we don’t have a choice we must let it go. It can feel like we’re losing something important, and it can hurt badly. But we always have options. There are countless opportunities in life, and although a serious setback is painful, we can overcome it and focus on something new. The important thing is to try. We never know how far we can go if we never stretch to see what’s possible. Talking about what we want is only the first step. Trying to accomplish it, even if we fail, brings us strength, understanding, and a greater sense of confidence.

Today if you’re trying to do something new, do the best you can to make it work. No matter what happens, you’ll feel confident and strong. Reach for the stars. Go forward with courage.  Reaching will bring you blessings. You’ll learn more about yourself, and you’ll be happy knowing you did the best you could.

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Untethered

16 Sep

A balloon floating freely up in the sky, tossed by the breeze and rolling around as it flies has no attachment to anything secure. It is untethered, and completely disconnected from anything but itself. It has no control over its direction or destination. Although we aren’t balloons floating away, there are times when we may feel disconnected and lost. We might feel like we’re being tossed here and there, and have no control over what’s happening or where we’re going. It’s unsettling when we feel our lives are being carried away by the decisions of others or things happening around us. Perhaps a significant change we could not control has occurred that has affected us deeply. Maybe the company we work for closes up unexpectedly, or a relationship we value ends suddenly without warning, or our health takes an unexpected turn. Lots of things happen to us and when great changes come without warning they can knock the air out of us, and leave us feeling lost and unsure of how to proceed. We don’t know which way to turn, and we can feel that our foundation has slipped away.

Unexpected and difficult changes can be stunning and we may feel nearly paralyzed at first. The shock of the change may leave us disoriented. It takes a while to process events like these, and it takes time to adjust to the change and determine how to navigate through it. It helps if we can confide in someone we trust, and whose guidance we respect. If we can talk about the situation, we may begin to formulate an action plan to begin moving forward. If there isn’t anyone to talk to, it is sometimes helpful to write down the feelings we’re having. Just writing everything down, with no concern about someone else reading what we’ve written, can give us a great release and help us think more clearly.

Change is normal in this life. Big difficult changes that surprise us are not easy to get through, but if we take our time, and give ourselves a chance to process everything we will find our way. If we are hurt it may take longer, but no matter how long it takes, we have everything we need inside us to get through. Nobody wants to go through hard and difficult situations, but it is those situations that teach us the most. While we’re figuring out how to adjust and move through them, we refine our abilities to cope and learn. We become stronger as we figure out how to turn the situation around and more flexible as we accept the differences that have come upon us. And when we’re on the other side, having successfully survived another trial, we will be wiser, stronger, and more capable. We really want to be the best we can be. Going through the hard times will help us achieve that goal.

Today if you’ve had an experience that has left you feeling lost, if you’re drifting in uncertainty and unsure about how to go forward, give yourself time to think. This is just a passage and even though it’s difficult it will not last forever. You will find your way through. You’ve been through other trying challenges and conquered them.  After you’ve navigated this and you’re on the other side, you’ll be stronger and more confident. There isn’t anything you can’t do. You are invincible.

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Coming Up Short

25 Aug

We all want to feel strong and confident, and able to face whatever comes our way. We try hard, we work hard, and we hope we have what it takes no matter what comes. Nobody likes feeling impotent and weak, but none of us is perfect and there are going to be times when we will feel overwhelmed, and unable to cope. We tend to be harder on ourselves than we are on others. We expect to be able to do whatever is needed, when it’s needed, and do it effectively and well. When we can’t accomplish that, we might feel bad, and we may think we’ve failed.

We all have shortcomings. We have some things we do well, some things we do very well, and some things that trip us up. Nobody is good at everything. We want to do everything well, but sometimes that’s not possible. So we have to learn to be patient and understand we all have weaknesses. We can learn, we can grow, and we can develop new skills that will help us move forward. We are able to change anything we want. But while we’re learning something new, we need to accept that it’s not going to happen overnight. It will take time, and generally it takes more time than we want.

Accepting ourselves as we are is important. Where we are is fine for today. But we aren’t frozen in time, and we aren’t stuck with the patterns we have. We can move forward, and we can change to become anything we want to be. If we’re not happy with a facet of our personality, we can change it. We can work on it and practice a new behavior until it becomes second nature, and part of who we are. It takes focus and time, but nothing is impossible if we want it enough. We have to be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we aren’t going to change in one either.

Today if you’re disappointed with where you are, if you want more, or if you want to be different in some way, begin doing what is needed to change. You are capable of doing anything you want. You can be happy, you can feel confident, and you can be strong. You have all the tools you need. You are capable of great things. Set the goal and start walking toward it. Before you know it you’ll be where you want to be. This is your life. You are the artist and you can design it any way you want. Whatever you design will be perfect for you.

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