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In the Dark

9 Jan

We all have dreams about what we’d like to do, places we want to see, and accomplishments we hope to achieve. Sometimes we take the steps needed to start the journey toward those dreams but there may be times when what we want seems so far away and out of reach we only think about it and do nothing to move toward it. It’s like standing in the dark in a closet and looking out through the slats in the door. We can see the rooms before us and all the possibilities, but we remain hidden and quiet, merely looking at what could be. There is no risk if we stay where we are, comfortable and secure in our place and what’s around us. If we protect ourselves from new experiences we may feel safe, but that safety comes at a great price. Standing in the dark and looking out at the world of available opportunities will never move us forward toward our dreams. Every dream is possible but nothing will come without effort. We must open the doors and walk forward toward the destinations we desire. We can be confident in our ability to find the road ahead. There isn’t anything we can’t do. We can take one step forward and then take another, and keeping our eyes focused ahead we will achieve any goal we set. Our lives are completely in our control and nothing is strong enough to hold us back or keep us in place. Every chance is possible. Every dream is available. We can begin moving toward anything we desire, and find success.

It’s nice to be familiar with our surroundings and those we encounter. We feel comfortable knowing the landscape and who we will meet. It’s great to have a network of friends and acquaintances, and strong ties with those around us. But every friend was once a stranger. Every comfortable location was once a foreign land. We can bravely step away from the familiar and forge new paths toward any destination we desire. No matter how strange things seem at first, we will know them and make them our own. The world is filled with possibilities and we can achieve anything we desire.

No journey is without trouble. We may take a wrong turn, we may meet someone who works against us, and we may stumble along the way. We don’t need to run back to the familiar when things go wrong. We can look at the situation before us, remember why we’re pushing forward, and find the way through. There really is no problem too difficult for us to solve and no complication too perplexing to figure out. We have everything we need to do anything. Nothing will stop us from finding success. We are strong and powerful, capable and wise. We can accomplish any goal we desire.

Today remember how important your dreams are. If you’ve been staying close to what’s comfortable and familiar, look ahead and take the first step toward your deepest desire. You can accomplish anything. Step out of the darkness and push ahead. All your dreams are there for you, and nothing will keep you from them.

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Knowing and Hoping

5 Jan

As we interact with others, either in our personal relationships or in passing, we learn how they respond to different situations and what we can expect from them.  It’s helpful to recognize their patterns and choices and have a clear expectation of their behaviors.  But sometimes we may hope their expected responses will change in ways that are better for them or will fit into our needs more effectively.  They say hope springs eternal, and in some ways it does.  If someone we’re close to often makes bad decisions and those decisions hurt them and those around them, we may hope they will change and our hope may make us believe something that isn’t real.  We must always be willing to face things as they are and understand we can only control our own lives and the decisions we make.  Even if we know what is best, even if we are sure we know the right way forward, if it’s someone else’s decision to make we have no control over the end result.  It takes a lot of energy to try to control situations that belong to someone else and no matter how much we put into our efforts, if the decisions aren’t ours to make, we will not change the outcome.  It’s best to step back, see the facts clearly, hope for the best, and then accept whatever choices are made.  We can control our lives any way we desire while allowing others to do the same and make their own choices despite what we hope for them.  Doing so will give us the freedom to move forward on our own road while still being available when needed.

When we love someone who is doing something destructive, it’s hard to stand by and watch as things go wrong.  We may offer counsel and advice if they are receptive, but then we must step back and let them make the decisions they desire.  It’s very hard to watch those we love suffer, especially if we are sure we know how to fix the situation.  We all learn from the things we experience, and ultimately every lesson must come from within.  We can let go and allow those around us to make their own choices and learn their own lessons, despite what we hope they will choose.

Facts may tell us all about how something works, how it looks, or what we can expect it to do but they can never predict our personal reactions and how they will affect us.  We really don’t know a stove is hot unless we touch it.  Until then it’s undefined information.  The same is true in our lives.  Most of what we do is done through trial and error.  We learn from the things we experience and those we love learn the same way.  It takes some of us more time than others, and we all take different roads on the journey.  We can hope for the best, while understanding and accepting whatever comes.  Life is a great teacher that allows each of us to learn our own way.  We can walk beside those around us, and let them choose their own path forward.

Today if you’re hoping someone you love will make a positive choice, do what you can to set a good example.  Be there to offer help when needed and let them choose for themselves.  Share your life with them while focusing on your own journey forward.  Live your life well and let your success light the way.

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The Frog

3 Jan

There is an old saying that if you want to cook a frog, put it in a pot of cold water and slowly heat it up.  It’s said that a frog will hop out of hot water but will sit in cold water and not notice the additional heat until it’s cooked.  If we’ve never wanted to cook a frog we may never need to test this hypothesis, but we may still experience the same process.  If someone wants us to do something they know we would never agree to, they may begin by including us in a situation we would find acceptable and then, slowly and carefully, modify the process until they reach their desired result.  Nobody is exempt from the deceit of others and there may be times when we may be shocked to find ourselves in situations we would never have chosen had we seen all the facts up front.  If we’re involved with someone we like or admire, and they slowly heat the water around us taking us where we don’t want to go, we may not notice anything until we’re metaphorically cooked.  We don’t know what we don’t know, and if we’re connected to someone who has secret plans, we may follow along until we end up in the wrong place.  It’s hard to believe anyone we care about and trust would do anything to mislead or deceive us, but it may happen.  When we finally see everything clearly we may feel like a fool wondering how we didn’t see the signs.  It’s easy to look back and see everything openly but if someone is blocking our vision it’s impossible to see the whole picture.  It’s like walking through fog.  Everything is muted and unclear, and even if we try we can’t see everything that is before us.  When the fog lifts it’s easy to look back at the path and see everything we missed.  In time all truth becomes evident.  Every deception will be uncovered and when it is, if we need to, we can correct our course.  We never have to continue on any road we don’t want.  We can turn and move forward toward success.

Shame is a very powerful emotion and can be quite destructive.  It may make us feel inadequate and unworthy.  We may feel intense shame if we discover we’ve fallen for a lie and taken our lives somewhere we don’t want to be.  We only answer for the choices we make and if we’ve been tricked into believing lies, the responsibility belongs to those who own them. If we find we’ve been fooled and manipulated, although we may be hurt, there is no need to feel ashamed.  It’s good to believe in and trust others.  If we are misled because of that belief and trust, those who have abused us are accountable.  We need not disparage ourselves for falling down.  We can stand tall, learn everything possible from the experience, and walk away with confidence knowing more than we did before.

Life is an incredible teacher if we are willing to listen. There are unlimited lessons to learn and everything we experience teaches us something new.  If we believe someone who lies to us, we may fall.  If we learn everything we can from the experience and take that information forward, remembering all the clues we learned, we will be more successful in preventing the same thing from happening again.  We don’t have to fall for the same story twice.  We can learn to feel the heat and step away before the water starts to boil.  Everything we need to be successful is already inside us.  We can watch, listen, and learn, and be wiser going forward.  Every possibility is available to us, and there isn’t anything we can’t comprehend and understand.

Today if you’ve discovered you’ve been tricked into a situation you don’t want, look ahead and decide how to correct your way forward.  A detour will never keep you from your goals.  You are wise and strong, and capable of understanding everything around you.  Keep your eyes on the road ahead and your path will become clear.  Every success you desire is waiting for you.  Nothing will hold you back and you will find the way.

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Agreement

18 Dec

We have control over every decision we make. If we are careful and thoughtful, our decisions will take us where we expect to go. We may have times when we think about a decision that is outside our moral or ethical standards. Perhaps we believe stepping a little off the road will get us to a goal more quickly, or we may intensely desire something that can only be gained by going out of bounds. When we are pondering those decisions, we may reach out to someone else to explain why it’s important to do this. Getting agreement from others for bad decisions may give us more confidence and make us feel we have permission to stray, but agreement never changes the parameters of any situation. Even if everyone around us agrees with us, a bad decision is still a bad decision. The choice is ours to make, and we will suffer alone when all the balls fall, as they inevitably will. Truth always surfaces. If we’ve chosen badly and done things that have hurt others, broken a law, or in some way cheated, all the facts will come forward. And when they do, no matter how much company we had racing down the road to destruction, we will stand alone. If we are tempted to do something ignoble, we can take a moment and consider all the consequences that may come. Every decision brings a result. We have control to choose anything we desire but we have no control over the consequences. We can choose wisely even if being unwise is more attractive. We have all the strength and wisdom to make choices that will bring us happiness and peace, and have lives filled with glory and success. It’s all up to us. Our lives will be the reflection of every choice we make.

Pressure to conform may be very strong. If those around us are comfortable making decisions that are not completely honest or moral, and they are powerful and convincing, we may be influenced to join them. There may be pressure to follow along with questionable ideas or plans. If our connections to those involved are very strong we may feel we have no choice but to do as they suggest. But we always have the power to say no. We don’t have to agree with anything that isn’t right for us no matter who is involved. Our lives belong to us and we may protect them and guide them according to our own standards.

Agreeing to go along will not make a bad decision good. We don’t have to agree with anything that goes against our core beliefs and we may politely and graciously decline to participate. When we know we are doing what is best, we will be confident going forward. Our lives are ours to design and every choice is ours to make. We can choose our personal best and when we do, will find success and happiness.

Today if you’re considering something that will take you off the road that’s best for you, think again. There is no reward worth seeking that takes you away from the person you want to be. You have greatness inside you. Choose well and take the path that brings you complete success. You are a great blessing to us all. Show us your best and you’ll find joy and happiness.

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Stepping Away

15 Dec

There are many people and influences in our lives.  They come and go every day and as we interact they influence us in some way.  Sometimes that influence is subtle and barely noticeable, and other times we are intensely impacted by what we hear and see.  If the influence is strong we may find ourselves being drawn to a different point of view and perspective, and stepping away from what is important to us.  There is nothing wrong with learning about others and trying out different ideas but if those experiences pull us away from our core values and the things that matter most to us, we may find ourselves in situations that take us far from where we really want to be.  We may begin to change in ways that align us more directly with someone else’s view and take us away from our own.  The world has its own ideas about what is right and wrong, what is good and bad, and how we should behave.  We are the only ones who can decide what is best for us.  Being careful of influence and remembering what is most important will help us stay true to the path that will bring us complete happiness.  We don’t need to assimilate to find our way forward.  We can do what is best for us to achieve the lives we want the most.  Real happiness comes when we are true to ourselves and who we really are.  There is nothing more satisfying than living an authentic life.  We know what we want and nothing is powerful enough to keep us from it.

Cultures change over time.  What was forbidden and discouraged in times past may now be acceptable and routine.  Although times change and the concept of what is acceptable modifies as we move forward, we are in control of the decisions we make.  If we go along with every passing idea, as the winds of change blow over us we will have nothing to hold onto.  Holding fast to our beliefs, even if they are very different from those around us, will bring us clear direction going forward and confidence as we travel.

We can change our minds about anything at any time.  All the roads ahead are open to us and we may choose any way forward we like.  If we are making our own decisions, no matter what happens, we will be in control.  If we allow the influence of others to unduly control our choices, we may end up on roads to destinations we never wanted to achieve.  Nobody can read the future and the end of the road is not visible at the beginning.  We have everything we need to make excellent choices and if we set the influence of others aside, and determine what is best for our unique plan going forward, those choices will take us where we want to go.

Today if you’ve allowed the influence of the world around you to color your decisions and find you are in the wrong place, redirect your way forward and correct your course.  There is no destination out of reach.  Look ahead and wisely determine your next step.  You will find great success and happiness as you move forward and every door will open for you.

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