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Intervention

10 Mar

We’ve all heard of interventions, and maybe seen them on television or witnessed them in real life. They are done in an effort to change or improve a situation with someone, and are sometimes used to help people who struggle with addictions, or who have trouble facing the truth about something. Often they are initiated by family members or other loved ones worried about someone close to them. One of the first things done in this situation is telling the complete truth about what is happening. Seeing everything as it is begins the process of change. Sometimes we may have times in our lives when we need to make a drastic change or face something very difficult. We don’t need to go through a formal intervention to face our situation and move forward. If we are ready and really want to turn our lives we can facilitate the change ourselves. All we have to do is decide it’s time to begin. We know what’s best for us, and we know when we’re on the wrong road. We know when we’re not being honest with ourselves, and we know what we need to do. Once we decide to change, the process of turning can begin. It doesn’t matter how we do it or how long it takes. What’s important is that we’re ready to start.

Most of us are honest with those around us. We try to be fair, wait our turn in line, pay our bills on time, and want to be nice. But sometimes we aren’t as kind and honest with ourselves. We expect more from ourselves than we would ever expect from others. We can be critical when we aren’t perfect, or feel shame when we don’t think we measure up. These kinds of personal judgments can prevent us from moving forward. We may even feel if we don’t do everything exactly right nobody will love us. We would never put those kinds of requirements on others. We allow for their mistakes, we don’t expect perfection, and we still care about them. But sometimes we have a double standard when it comes to expectations for ourselves. It’s important to remember that we are perfect just like we are now. We don’t have to be the best, the fastest, the tallest, the smartest, or the most successful to be loved. We have unique gifts and talents that nobody else possesses, and we already have a lot to offer. We are lovable just as we are.

Being honest with ourselves isn’t always easy. If we want to really know who we are, we have to be willing to open all the secret doors we’ve kept shut, and pull the curtains away letting all the light shine through. We need to look at what we’re actually doing and decide if it’s what we really want. If it isn’t, we can make decisions that will put us on the road that will take us where we want to go. There isn’t anything we can’t change. But first we have to be willing to see things as they are. We can’t hide behind our families, our jobs, our money, our reputations, or anything else. We can have our own personal intervention, face our reality as it exists, and then decide how to go forward. We can have any kind of life we want but we won’t achieve anything we’re looking for if we look away from where we are. We can face our lives, decide what we want to change, and move forward.

Today if you feel you aren’t where you want to be, and you aren’t sure how to move forward, stop and take a good look at your life. See everything as it is, and decide where you want to go from here. There isn’t anything you can’t do. The road is already there waiting for you. Take the first step on the journey today. There is sunshine just ahead. You have everything you need to reach it.

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Hopeless

5 Mar

There are times in everyone’s life when we’ve wanted something badly and no matter what we’ve done or how we’ve tried, haven’t been able to achieve it. Maybe it’s taken a long time – years even – and still we feel no closer to the goal than when we started. We think about giving up but we want the dream and can’t imagine not succeeding. And so we continue. If we reach a point where we feel hopeless that we’ll ever get to the end of the road, we can feel like we’ve failed. But if we don’t want to stop trying, we can think about the situation a little differently. If we feel hopeless, we may need to stop for a moment and look at the situation objectively, and think about what we really want going forward. If we feel we’ve given all we can and need to stop pushing for now, we can do that. We can take a break from the struggle. We can rethink how we want to go forward. If we want to, we can decide to set the goal aside for a time and revisit it later when our perspective is fresh, and our lives are in a different place. Sometimes it’s all about timing. If we stop for a while, and do other things we may find a new way that will move us forward.

When we’re pushing hard for something, sometimes we lose our focus on everything else around us. We can no longer see the forest for all the trees in our way. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when we want something badly but seeing only the goal we’re seeking can keep us from seeing things around us that can move us closer to it. There may be someone standing right next to us with the answers we need but if we’re only looking ahead and not paying attention, they may walk right past us without us saying a word. There is nothing wrong with focusing on a goal, and we need to keep our eyes on where we want to go if we hope to get there. But while we’re looking forward, it’s important to look around as well. There are answers all around us. If we look up from time to time and engage those near us we may find exactly what we’re seeking.

It’s hard to be patient when we want something very badly. It’s hard to wait, and search, and press forward every day. After a time all the struggle and striving can take its toll on us. If we remember why we want to get to the goal and what it will mean to us when we achieve it, we can endure whatever comes. As we move forward we’re learning new things, and finding our way. If we need to, we can take time out to regroup, restore, or rethink. We don’t have to accomplish everything at once. We can get there taking it one step at a time. If we need to step away for a while, we can. There is nothing wrong with taking a break and sometimes a little distance can open our eyes to new direction. If we want to keep pressing forward, we can do that too. It’s all up to us and we can do whatever works best. Everyone does things their own way and whatever works best for us is perfect. It doesn’t matter if it looks different than someone else’s model, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes. The important thing is doing what we want to do most.

Today if you’ve been working hard to achieve something and you feel overwhelmed or hopeless because you haven’t gotten to the goal, perhaps it’s time to take a break. You’ve come a long way already, and if you step back your vision may clear. When you start again you won’t have lost any ground. You have everything you need to win. You know what you want. You have more courage than you realize. There is nothing that will prevent you from succeeding. Nothing will stop you.

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Intertwined

4 Mar

We can do just about anything we want to in our lives. If we want to learn something new, with enough time and practice we can master whatever it is. If we want to make a change, with enough determination we can accomplish it. And if we want to achieve something, if we plan well and do all we can, we can succeed. Unfortunately we all face times when something we really want eludes us.  If everything only depended on us we might never fail, but in this life what we do and what we want often depends on the choices of others. We can try hard to change something in our lives but if others are involved and they don’t agree, we may have to alter our course for a time.  Sometimes we may have to change our plans until the situation improves. But that doesn’t mean we have to forsake the dream. It just means we may have to move in a different direction or at a different pace.

The old saying that “no man is an island” is true. We live in a world with lots of other people. We develop all kinds of relationships with them and they are intertwined throughout our lives. There are some things we do that don’t impact anyone else, but unless we’re hermits living alone on a mountain top, many of our choices will touch those around us in some way. If we’re in a work situation, the choices we make and the things we want to achieve may depend on their agreement and support. If we’re dealing with family and they don’t understand what we’re trying to do, their disapproval may hinder us. If we’re in a relationship where someone depends on us keeping things the same, we may postpone a decision we really want to make. People are complicated and every one of us has our own unique perspective on life. If we want to do something that needs the cooperation of those near us for it to succeed, and that isn’t forthcoming, we can alter our plans. We can find a way to move forward alone, and we can still succeed.

Complications often come when we’re trying to make a change in our lives. But complications are just unexpected developments. We are certainly capable of figuring out how to navigate anything that comes our way, and if our goal is important to us we will find a way around any complication. If we want something badly enough we can achieve it even without the support of those around us. Someone else’s opinion of what we’re doing is just that – their opinion. And their opinion belongs to them. We can let them own that, and continue on our course.  We can listen to their comments and if we don’t agree, we can graciously decline their advice and do what’s most important to us.

Today if you really want to make a change in your life, and there’s something you want to do, carefully weigh your options. If you can move forward and feel it’s best to proceed, begin today. If you feel you must wait until things change, make a plan for when you will start. There isn’t anything you can’t do. You’re in charge of your life and are capable of making excellent decisions. You know what you want and you know how to get it. Make a plan and make the best choices for success.

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Hiding Places

29 Feb

Life is full of challenges. We face some sort of challenge every day and sometimes they are difficult for us to manage. If they seem too hard we might decide that instead of facing them we’ll hide. There are limitless places to hide if we want to. If we have a relationship issue we don’t want to face, we can hide by working long hours so we’re unavailable to talk about it. If we don’t want to see someone, we may hide by creating unexpected complications that prevent us from meeting them.  We can hide in limitless ways when we don’t want to face something. But if we want to be the best we can be we have to be willing to face whatever comes to us. We are capable of managing anything we encounter but we may forget that if we’re threatened or afraid of the outcome.  But hiding never works. All it does is delay the inevitable, and trying to hide indefinitely is exhausting. The best we can do when things get difficult is determine to face them head on, no matter what comes. We’ll have to confront our problems at some point. It’s best to do it when they first appear because aren’t going away until we solve them. We are wise enough, brave enough, and smart enough to face whatever the issue is, and find an acceptable resolution.

Truth is truth and no matter what we do, it will always surface. Looking the other way or pretending it doesn’t exist changes nothing. Hiding from the truth only prevents us from moving forward. If we aren’t moving forward, we’re either standing still or going backward – neither of which will take us to our goals. When things go wrong, or we’re facing developments that are difficult, the only way to get through them is to face them squarely, figure them out, resolve them, and move on. It may be painful, but we are capable of managing pain. It might be complicated, but we’re smart enough to figure anything out, and it might take some time, but as we process the problem we’re moving forward through it. We can handle whatever it takes.

Nothing stays the same in life. Whatever we’re going through today will be different tomorrow. We can’t control the things that come to us but if we proactively face our problems and find workable solutions to them, we can move through them. Once we’ve solved them, we can let them go, and move forward. If we hide and obsess over them instead of facing them, we force ourselves to carry them longer than we must. Carrying problems around instead of solving them gets us nowhere, and can have a negative impact on our ability to be happy. We all deserve to be happy. By courageously facing our problems, and determining the wisest path going forward, we can solve them, and find our peace again. Happiness is a gift we give to ourselves. Refusing to hide even when things get hard allows us to return to happiness as quickly as possible.

Today if you’ve been hiding from something that has been difficult for you, do what you must to take the first step in solving the issue. There isn’t anything you can’t manage. You are strong enough and smart enough to face anything. Face the problem and solve it. Your happiness will return and you’ll feel more confident going forward. You can do anything. Today do your best to move forward.

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It Happens

25 Feb

We live at a time of unprecedented opportunity. We can travel around the world, take jobs we can work at home, go to college in our spare time, and accomplish anything we set out to do. It has never been easier to make dreams come true. But the trick is learning how to make them happen. We have a choice in our lives – we can either make things happen by setting goals and working toward them, or we can sit back and let them happen as they will and navigate around them. Life changes every moment of every day. Whether the changes are things we want to experience or not often depends on the choices we make. There are some things we have no control over, but when it comes to our lives, we can determine and change a lot. All we really have to do is decide what we want. After that we can work toward our goals and if we are persistent will make many of them a reality. Some people don’t want the responsibility of creating the lives they dream of and prefer to just go along with whatever comes their way. Perhaps they prefer the security of knowing someone else will decide, or the comfort of sameness each day. But if we let circumstances and others determine where our lives will go, it’s doubtful we’ll find real, fulfilling happiness. And we all deserve to be happy.

It’s those who dream of changing things and imagining how different life could be who make the most amazing discoveries. If Edison had not imagined we could have light whenever we wanted it, he wouldn’t have created the light bulb. Dreamers have enhanced our lives in many ways. It’s wonderful to dream and imagine what could be. But in every instance if we want to create something new, change something, or develop our lives in new ways, we have to do more than dream. We have to act. If all Edison did was sit around and think about how wonderful it would be to have light at the flick of a switch, and did nothing to make it happen, he would have created nothing. Even if we spend years planning a dream we want to achieve, even if we ponder every detail we need to conquer to make it happen, until we actually begin to do what is needed to make it a reality, nothing will change. Our lives will continue, time will go by, and we’ll still be dreaming.

There isn’t anything we can’t do. If we can think it, we can do it. Some things will of course be harder than others, but with sufficient preparation and time, if we work at them and persist no matter what comes, we can make our dreams a reality. It takes courage to change our lives and go after the things we dream about. It takes determination and it might take a long time. But we have enough courage and determination if we really want what we’re dreaming of, and we can move forward toward it for however long it takes to succeed. We are capable of having the lives we dream about. Our lives will go by whether we design them and create them the way we want them or not. We are responsible for the choices we make, even when we choose to do nothing. We deserve to be happy. We deserve to make all our dreams come true. Life happens. It’s up to us to make sure it happens our way.

Today if you’ve been dreaming of something you really want to do but haven’t done anything to achieve it, take the first step. Mark your path and move forward a little every day. As you move closer to the goal your confidence will rise and you’ll succeed. Nothing is strong enough to stop you. You can make all your dreams come true. Make your life happen your way, and it will be the life you always dreamed of.

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