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Hidden Treasure

4 May

It’s exciting to think about going on a treasure hunt.  If we have a map where “X” marks the spot we could find it and start digging. Or maybe we could go out on the ocean on a big boat and find a sunken ship filled with treasure. Or we could go on a geological expedition and find a diamond in fields of rocks. It’s fun to ponder doing these things but treasures can be hard to find and may take a lot of time and resources. That doesn’t mean they aren’t out there and we can go searching for them.  But there is hidden treasure that’s easier to find. We each have some special treasures deep inside us we keep safe and secure. Sometimes it’s a dream we want to pursue, sometimes it’s a gift we only share with others once in a while, and sometimes it’s something we want to become that we’ve held onto but never begun. There are treasures in all of us and when we’re ready we can bring them out and manifest them in our lives. Until then, they will stay buried, tucked away, and hidden from the world.

As we’re living our lives, we have choices to make. Sometimes we get caught up in a situation, a career, or a pattern we didn’t plan on. If we don’t control where we’re headed, our lives will go wherever circumstances lead us. Even if we want to be in control, sometimes the roads we want to travel aren’t available to us yet. But everything changes as time goes by and opportunities present themselves that enable us to re-evaluate where we are and where we want to go. If we’ve been in the same situation for a long time, even if it’s not what we really want, we may be tempted to continue because we know the road so well. We know what to expect and where we’re headed. But if it’s not the path we want the most, staying the course for convenience won’t bring us true and lasting happiness. We always have the option to change and what we do, and where we go, is up to us.

Our lives are our responsibility. We can live them any way we want to. If we aren’t happy, and if we aren’t fulfilled and we want a change, we can have it. It’s rarely easy to make big changes in our lives, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort to turn our ship, but if we’re correcting our course to where we most want to go, any effort will be worth the cost. If we’re unhappy in our relationships, we can change them. If we don’t like our jobs, we can change those too. If we want to live somewhere new, we can move. And if we want to change something about our personalities, we can. There is nothing out of reach. We all have treasures to offer the world. We don’t have to dig for them. We know exactly what they are and how to reach them.  We don’t have to live lives that prevent us from opening them.  This life is a gift. Living it the way that makes us happiest is the gift we give ourselves.

Today if you want to change your life, if you’re ready to embrace your dreams and bring your treasure out, you can do it. There isn’t anything you can’t do. You can live your life any way you like, go anywhere you want to go, and do anything you want to do. Open the door and take the first step to your perfect life. You deserve everything. And you can have it.

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Not This Again

27 Apr

We learn a lot as we go through our lives. Each day brings opportunities to learn new things, develop new skills and new behaviors. Sometimes trials come upon us and we try to overcome them, or solve them, or just try to get through them. But we all have lessons to learn. If we learn what is needed to get through a situation, we can move forward. No matter what problems come upon us, they aren’t permanent and will eventually go away again. However, if we didn’t learn anything from the experience, and only endured it until it changed, odds are good we’ll get to go through it again. Life has a way of looping our problems back around when we don’t figure out how to solve them.  If we never change our patterns or response to an issue, it may become a recurring nightmare. Given that, it’s in our best interest to try and not only endure our problems, but take the time to figure out why we have them, and then do what is needed to solve them once and for all.

Practice is the key to proficiency in most cases. When we’re learning a new skill the more we do it, the better we get at it. Repetition helps us remember how things are done and effectively teaches us new patterns. But repetition in our problems isn’t always pro-active. Having the same problem over and over doesn’t make us better people. It doesn’t make us proficient at anything but going through the same thing again and again. If we find ourselves in a familiar situation that is unpleasant and difficult to manage, the familiarity is our clue that we have something to learn. If we look at the situation objectively we can identify what we need to do to prevent it from returning.  Identifying the underlying issue is just the first step though. After we see what needs to change to prevent the same problem from recurring, we must adopt the change to end it. Just understanding what causes the situation is never enough. If we want to stop repeating the same behaviors, we actually have to stop repeating the same behaviors.

We are in charge of our lives. Sometimes the difficult issues we face over and over again come to us because of our associations with others. Perhaps they aren’t the best influence in our lives, maybe they have personal issues that impact us, or maybe they exercise authority over us in unproductive ways. If contact with them brings us hardship we may choose to distance ourselves from them or eliminate our interactions altogether. If the relationship is important to us, or has been in our lives for a long time, that decision may be difficult. We don’t want to hurt others but it’s important to recognize when our relationships are hurting us. If they are, we can modify them so we can move forward. We know what we need better than anyone else. If we need a change, we can make it. We are completely capable of managing our lives in positive and beneficial ways that bring us happiness and peace.

Today if you’re facing the same problem you’ve faced before and want to move forward, look at the situation clearly and see what you need to do to change. You can make any change you need to be happy. You are capable of understanding what needs to be done. Learn everything you can this time around and solve the problem once and for all. Look ahead and see where you want to be. And then, do what it takes to get there.

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Where do we go from here?

16 Apr

There are a lot of roads we can travel and paths we can choose. There is no one perfect way to live a life, and we have limitless options. Sometimes we come to a crossroads and look both ways unsure of which way to turn. If we go one way the outcome will likely be different than if we go another. It doesn’t always mean one way is better than the other, but they will surely be different. It isn’t always easy to figure out which way is best for us and sometimes even when we try to choose the path that will take us where we want to go, it turns out to be a dead end, and we have to turn back. We’ll face many times in our lives where we’re at a turning point. Maybe a relationship has ended and we aren’t sure what to do next. Maybe our professional lives have changed dramatically and we feel lost without a compass. And maybe we’ve changed and decided the path we’re on needs to change as well. Lots of things happen and sometimes when they do we wonder, where do we go from here? What do we do now if what we’ve been doing is no longer working or is no longer unavailable? It’s important to remember we are in charge of our lives. No matter what happens we have everything we need to figure out the next step. We can evaluate our situation, look at all the options available and make a good decision going forward. If it doesn’t work out, we can re-evaluate and choose again. There is no end to the choices we can make. We just need to keep moving forward. We’ll find the way in time and all the dead ends and missed turns will mean nothing.

Some people decide early in their lives what they want. They’re self-directed and have defined where they want to go and what they want to do. Others take their time and let things unfold for a while, and try several different scenarios before deciding what works for them. It doesn’t really matter what we choose to do as long as it’s what we really want to do. If we want to be a circus clown, we can be. If we want to be a business executive, we can do that too. But sometimes what we want may not be possible for us. We don’t usually know that in the beginning but as time passes if it’s not workable it’ll be obvious, and then can adjust our trajectory to a slightly different destination. There is no failure if we keep moving forward. It doesn’t matter how many times we change our course if we keep moving closer to where we want to be.

If we really want to reach a specific goal and although we’ve tried our hardest, it eludes us, we may need to re-think where we’re headed. Some things may be out of our reach. We may not have all the talents or skills to achieve exactly what we had hoped for but that doesn’t mean we can’t find success. Some people say anything is possible if we want something badly enough and many times that’s true. But sometimes no matter what we do, we can’t get there. There are a lot of factors in play all the time. If we haven’t gotten to the ultimate goal, we can be excellent where we are, and continue to grow forward. Wherever we end up we always have the option of asking ourselves where do we go from here? We can make any plans we want going forward. The world belongs to those who take it. And we can take our turn in getting what we want.

Today if you’re at a crossroads and aren’t sure which way to turn, look at all your options. You will make the best decision. If it doesn’t take you where you want to go, you can change your course. You are successful because you are moving forward. You know where you want to go. If you need to make a turn, you will make it. You life belongs to you. Take it, make it yours, and you’ll be successful.

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Shifting

12 Apr

We do thousands of things every day. We go places, we look at people, we talk, we interact, and everywhere we go and everything we do shifts our reality just a bit. We’re perceptive and when others impact us negatively or positively it can stay with us. If someone is rude to us it can make us feel bad for the rest of the day. And if someone is unexpectedly nice to us, it can brighten us and make us feel good. As we go through the motions of our lives we have the chance at every turn to make a difference. We can make the world a better place by doing something positive. Just one small act of kindness can lift not only the receiver but the giver, and all those who witness it or hear about it. We’re all connected and when we hear or see someone doing something good, we all feel better. Knowing that, if we determined to do one small positive thing every day, over time, we could change the world. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, we don’t have to donate money, or run into a burning house to save someone, or take all the neighbor kids to a movie, although those are all impressive. We could do something small to lift someone and make their day better. For instance we could help someone with a heavy bag, or cheer a crying child, or let someone who’s in a hurry go in front of us.  Those small acts don’t seem like much, but they can mean a lot. And they can change a day that is lonely or sad or stressed into something better. We are all capable of sharing goodwill, and each time we do, we bless those around us and receive blessings as well. If we decided every day to do one small act to make the world better, we would be amazed at how it lifts us and how much happier we’d be.

We can get caught up in our personal lives. We have a lot of responsibility and every day seems to bring more that needs to be done. If we focus only on ourselves and not those around us we might think we’re being more efficient, and maybe we are. But those around us are part of our world and impact our experiences here. When we look up and notice them we see they are just like us. They are trying hard to get things done too, and they have challenges and triumphs just like we do. If we extend ourselves just a little to let them know we’re aware of them and that we care, we would all feel more connected. And feeling connected is a wonderful thing. It makes us remember that we’re lovable and cared for, and it communicates the same messages to others.

There are countless ways to be of service.  Often, once we do one small thing to help out, it opens our eyes to something else. If we keep our eyes open and look, each day will bring us an opportunity to serve. Day by day as we practice extending ourselves we’ll notice that service makes us feel good. We feel better knowing we’re doing something noble. It doesn’t take a lot of time, it doesn’t take money, and it’s an easy thing to do. The blessings will be abundant – both to us and those around us. We can shift everything to the right, and be a source of great happiness.

Today look around you. See if there isn’t some small way you might help someone else. You’ll find it and when you do, offer a hand. Tomorrow do the same thing. Soon your perspective will change and you’ll feel more connected, and you’ll be happier. You’ll still be busy, but there will be a shift in how you see things. Bring the sunshine. You’ve got it all inside you.  Share it and it will return to you tenfold.

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Convinced

6 Apr

As we go through our lives there may be times when we’re asked to do things we may not be enthusiastic about or aren’t sure we want to do. It could be something personal, something involving our families, or something in the professional arena. Whatever it is, there may be others who try to convince us we need to do it, or who try to make us do it. Unless the person asking has authority over us we don’t have to comply with any request. But it can be hard to say no when those who want compliance are close to us. They may try to control us or manipulate us into doing what they want. If their influence is strong enough we may acquiesce. But if we do, we may not be happy. When we have feelings for someone, we can be vulnerable. If they ask us for something and we aren’t convinced the request is in our best interest, but do it anyway, it may damage the relationship. We all get to make our own decisions. We can choose anything we like and if we choose things we don’t want, we may have regrets later. If things don’t go well we may say we were made to comply but that’s not completely true. The fact is we are in control of our own lives. If we acquiesce and do something we don’t want to do, we are choosing that path. And when we do, we also choose where it takes us. If we aren’t convinced the decision is in our best interest, no matter who is pushing it, we need to choose what’s best for us.

Influence is a powerful tool. When we love someone we want them to be happy. If they ask us for something we often want to comply. But if they want something we don’t want to give it may be difficult to decide. We can choose anything we like. We can go along even when we don’t want to, or we can decline. If we go along and things don’t work out and we get hurt, we may blame the requestor. However, that’s not fair. We make our own decisions and if we chose to go along, we own the results of that choice. We are accountable for every decision we make. If we don’t want to do something and do it anyway, we own it.

Learning to be genuine and honest in all our dealings takes determination. If we honestly decide what we want to do and where we want to go, there may be times when others disagree. If they want us to go another way and we refuse, they may not be happy. But being honest in every choice keeps us on the road we want to travel. If we take a detour to do something chosen by someone else, we may end up going somewhere we don’t want to go. Although some will be annoyed when we don’t comply, we can respectfully decline any request that isn’t right for us. If we are honest in every situation our lives will reflect what we want most, and take us to the destination we choose. We are entitled to live our lives any way we like. If that isn’t what someone else wants, we can still choose our own path.

Today if you’re being influenced to do something you aren’t sure about you may decline. You have the right to make the best choices for yourself and choose where you want to go. This is your day. You are capable of doing anything you like. Design the life you want most and you’ll find true happiness.

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