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The Whole Story

29 Aug

There may be times in our lives when we get wrapped up in a situation so tightly and are so close to an issue we can’t see it clearly.  We may have suspicions things aren’t exactly as they seem but if we’re too close, even if we have doubts, we may neglect to see the whole story.  Personal desire can be very powerful and if we want a situation to be real we can ignore important cues and refuse to look at things objectively.  If others want us to believe something that isn’t true and manipulate us to keep us from seeing the truth, it can be hard to sort things out.  Misdirection, mixed messages, and dishonesty can make us believe something that isn’t real.  If we are courageous and refuse to ignore promptings that things aren’t as they seem, we can find our way.  But if we’re caught up and very much want things to be real we may look away.  As long as we refuse to see the whole story we may live in the land of fiction, and we will stay there until we’re ready to see what is true.  We deserve truth in our lives.  We can face anything openly and see it as it really is.  When we’re ready to see the truth, we can manage whatever we find.

Some people have powerful personal agendas that drive them to do anything to achieve them.  They don’t care if they are dishonest, they don’t care who gets hurt, and they don’t care what they have to do to get to their goal.  If we become entangled with them they may do things that make us believe things that aren’t true.  If they don’t care about anything but themselves they may deceive us and we may be hurt.  If we value them and believe we have a close relationship with them, we may be hurt badly.  But we don’t have to believe anything without proving it first.  We can listen objectively and evaluate what is real.  We are smart enough and wise enough to discern truth and if we set personal feelings aside and see the situation objectively we will find it.  Truth is the only thing that is constant.  It may be ignored for a time but it will always surface.  Seeking it and listening to it will help us find our way through any situation.

There is nothing wrong with desiring to achieve goals.  It’s good to be ambitious and self-directed.  But if all we see is the goal and are willing to pay any price to achieve it we may become selfish and merciless manipulating others to move us forward.  We are better than that and are accountable for everything we do.  We can achieve anything we want and we can choose to do it nobly.  It is far better to move forward with honesty and bring others along with us through motivation and kindness.  We can do anything and we can do it with honor.  If we do what is best and achieve our goals honorably we will become the people we most want to be.  And our example will inspire those around us and make a positive impact on the world.

Today if you feel something isn’t right in a situation you’re living, step back and look at it objectively.  You will find the answers and see the best way forward.  If you are trying to accomplish a goal and are highly motivated to make it a reality, bring others along by treating them with respect and being honest.  You can do anything.  You are strong and wise.  Show that strength and wisdom in all you do, and be the best you can be.

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Competition

26 Aug

There are a lot of ways to find success as we navigate through our lives.  Maybe we work hard and become successful in business, or we raise strong healthy children, or we do something better than anyone else.  There are limitless ways to express excellence in our lives.  Sometimes we might feel we have to do better because we’re in competition with someone else, or want to prevail in a specific situation better than anyone has before.  The idea of competition can bring out the very best in us as we strive for more and reach higher.  There are a lot of ways to compare ourselves to the world and those around us and we may feel inspired to do more because of them.  But in reality, no matter what we do as we try to accomplish anything we are only in competition with ourselves.  If we do our very best and reach as high as we can no matter where we land in the end we have succeeded.  The world has all kinds of ways to measure success.  There are accolades galore, awards, prizes, adulation and laud to seek after.  But those mean nothing if we haven’t done our best.  And when we give our best, we win.  We win even if we don’t come in first.  We win even if we don’t get the prize.  The competition is within us at every turn and how we handle it defines the true winner.

The way the world measures success may not represent us, and the ideas of success set by other people do not define it for us.  If others determine it’s desirable to be tall we can be happy being short.  If they decide it’s better to go fast, we can be content to go at our own speed.  We define our personal success.  We can determine how our lives should look and how we want to live.  We are not defined by the measures set by those around us but by the measures we set for ourselves.  We know what we want and we know where we want to be.  Doing things our way will bring us personal satisfaction and true success.

It takes time to decide how we want to live our lives.  If we go along with what we’re told and never think about what we really want we may end up in situations that aren’t where we want to be.  Defining who we are and what we want to do is up to us.  It’s easy to go with the flow and do what makes everyone else happy.  But we deserve to have lives that reflect who we really are.  We can turn left even if everyone else is turning right.  We can choose a different path any time we like.  When we live our lives genuinely, defined by our own personal parameters we will find success no matter what we’re doing.  We are unique, impressive, and precious as we are.  We can define our own successes and measure up to our own standards.  This life is an incredible gift.  Living it our way is the best blessing we can give ourselves.

Today if you’ve been competing with others remember the real competition is within you.  You will succeed if you accomplish what’s most important to you.  Decide what makes you happy and then proceed on your own course.  You have excellence in you.  You can define what that looks like and find true happiness.

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Unsung

19 Aug

As we go through our days we have limitless choices to make.  Every day brings a new challenge or question to answer.  If we want to be our best we try to make each decision well.  We try to keep our feet on the road we want to travel and get closer to the person we want to become.  Sometimes people notice our good works but often they just get lost in the shuffle of everyday living.  If we make a good decision that requires us to sacrifice something we may feel others should acknowledge it.  Perhaps we feel we should receive some kind of praise because we chose well.  But we don’t make good choices for the acclaim they bring.  We make them because they are the best decisions we can make going forward.  We will find great satisfaction by choosing well and oftentimes prevent complications and problems doing so.  We don’t need the praise or adoration of others because we were wise.  Being wise will bring us enough reward.  We will be content in our lives by choosing the best roads possible and feel good knowing we are doing our best.  Although the praise of others feels good it is not required or needed.

Some decisions we face may have attractive options that won’t take us where we want to go.  It can be hard to turn away from a quick fix or a poor choice that will bring us benefits we desire.  But temporary solutions generally bring only momentary happiness and often result in endless complications.  If we’re tired or frustrated and want to move forward quickly we may opt for them, but in the end may find the harder more effective decision was wiser.  We don’t need immediate gratification to find happiness.  We can carefully plan for all possible outcomes and choose the very best option even if it takes more time and is more difficult.  We are what we do.  If we want to be the very best we can be we must make the very best choices.

Some people need a lot of attention.  They want praise every time they do something right, and recognition when they accomplish a difficult task.  Oftentimes that need for attention comes from a lack of confidence.  We can be confident by choosing well.  The need for approval and acknowledgement may influence us into making decisions that aren’t the best choice going forward.  If what we’re seeking isn’t long term success but immediate praise, we may choose options that are quick and flashy but have no lasting success.  We don’t need the agreement of others to choose well.  We can make the best choices even if we stand alone.  We are smart enough, capable enough and wise enough to find the best answers and we are strong enough to choose them.  There isn’t anything we can’t understand and master if we want to badly enough.  We don’t need adoration to choose well.  We can make the best choices and succeed because it’s what we want most to do.

Today if you’re facing a decision choose the path that takes you closer to the person you want to be.  There is greatness in you.  Show the world who you really are by choosing well.  You have so much to offer and we all need your influence.  Choose wisely and success will follow.

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Hit and Run

12 Aug

Suppose as we approach our car in a parking lot after doing some shopping we see someone has hit it while we were inside.  There is no note anywhere with information about who did it.  There is nothing but a smashed up car we now have to deal with.  We’ve become the victim of a hit and run.  Somebody hit the car and simply drove away.  Unless there is a witness who saw the event and is willing to come forward with information, we’re stuck with the damage and making the repairs.  It’s unethical to damage anyone’s property and not take responsibility for it, but some people don’t care about ethics, or what is right.  And so we have to deal with what’s happened.  It’s cowardly to hit anyone or anything and run away afterward.  And when it happens to us we may feel angry, and frustrated.  There is no way to make things right if the offender has disappeared and we are stuck repairing the situation on our own.

Ethics is an interesting subject.  We define what is right and it’s ethical to maintain the standards we set.  It’s unethical to impose pain and suffering on others and not be accountable for it.  But if we want to we can make all kinds of excuses for bad behavior.  The idea of “situational ethics” comes into play.  It’s a convenient excuse when we know what we did was wrong, but feel the situation warranted it and we shouldn’t be responsible for it.  For instance, we miss an important turn as we’re driving somewhere and need to turn around.  There is a no U turn sign but we look around, don’t see anyone and do it anyway.  The situation called for us to turn around and go back, and since nobody saw us, there’s no harm.  But the problem with embracing situational excuses is there will always be a reason to compromise our values, and if there isn’t we can make one up.  We are what we do and if we want to be ethical and honest we must choose what is right even if nobody is looking.

They say the best way to cook a frog is to put it in cold water and slowly heat it up.  That way the frog won’t resist as the water slowly warms until it’s cooked.  When we make decisions that take us away from what we believe is right and then make excuses for them, we are in the water as it begins to heat up.  The next time a decision comes and we want to step out of our standards a little it will be easier because we’ve already stepped away before.  If we keep taking steps further and further away from where we want to be our perceptions of right and wrong will change and our standards will follow.  And like the frog, we’ll be cooked before we know it.  We have to decide what kind of person we really want to be.  If we want to be firm in our convictions we can’t risk wavering.  We can’t hit and run and hope it won’t matter.  What we do always matters.  We can be strong in making choices that keep us on the road we want to travel and define who we most want to be.

Today if you feel tempted to turn away from your standards just a little to accomplish something, hold fast.  Choose well and be firm in what you know is right.  You will prevail and earn the respect of those around you.  You are worth more than you can imagine and your influence on the world is great.  Make it the best influence it can be.

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Quarter Turn

8 Aug

There are times when we’re working on a problem or dealing with others that things don’t go exactly as we want them to.  If there is contention or complications and they are persistent we can get hung up and stopped in our tracks.  If that continues we may become frustrated, feel it’s not worth the hassle, and consider completely abandoning our plans. Giving up is always an option but we don’t have to.  We don’t have to turn all the way around or exclude ourselves from any situation because it’s not going smoothly.  Sometimes a simple adjustment will change things.  A small quarter turn to the left or right can sometimes be all that’s needed to make things work.  Just a small adjustment in our thinking or our decisions may pave the road forward.  We may overlook small adjustments as possible solutions because they seem insignificant.  But a quarter turn that enables success is certainly worth consideration, and can sometimes change the whole picture and open doors going forward.

We all have ideas about how things should go.  If we make decisions about what needs to be done and are convinced it’s the best way forward it may be hard to hear other suggestions.  But everybody has their own perspective and sometimes we don’t know the whole story.  Others have valuable insight and if we listen and allow our plans to be modified we may more easily find success.  It’s impossible to know everything every time.  When things don’t go easily and there are roadblocks keeping us from success, listening to other suggestions and leaning a little toward them may correct our course.  Instead of completely quitting or giving up, we can adjust our trajectory and successfully get to the goal.

Life is rarely an “all or nothing” scenario.  There are few times when there is only one way to do things or only one option.  Generally there is flexibility in our decisions and more than one method that will bring success.  Being open to many ideas and suggestions will help us going forward.  Everyone has something to offer and different perspectives allow us to see things in new ways.  We can be open enough to hear them and lean a little here or there, perhaps making a quarter turn to enable success.  Being rigid and unwilling to listen gives us only one option – ours.  But hearing other suggestions and viewpoints and embracing them gives us many options, and many options can open many doors.  Success is the ultimate goal.  We don’t have to always do it our way.  We can hear as many ideas as possible to help us get where we want to go.

Today if you’re working on a situation but things aren’t moving as well as you hoped, ask for suggestions from others.  Listen to new perspectives and be open to trying another way.  We all have great ideas.  Hear them and adjust your path to find success.  You know what you want.  Turn a little and let others help you find it.

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