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Dodgeball

2 Jun

Playing dodgeball is fun and can be exciting and challenging. The game involves several balls being thrown by opposing teams. The idea is not to get hit by a ball thrown by an opponent. If we do get hit, we’re out. But if we’re quick and pay attention we can catch the balls that are being thrown at us and preserve our spot in the game. It’s a challenge to dodge the balls and be fast enough to catch them before they strike us out. Life can be like playing dodgeball. There are always things being thrown at us that can catch us off guard. Maybe someone wants us to do something we don’t really have time for, or we accumulate too much work as we move along and things need attention. If we get distracted by everything that’s happening, or become overworked, we can get hit with something that knocks us off our feet. But if we’re quick and paying attention, we can turn and face whatever is coming, catch it, and address it successfully. The constant needs of others or things we have to do can derail us if we get caught up in them. But we can manage and control our time and efforts. We can avoid getting hit and losing our place. It all depends on how we play the game.

Our lives are busy and there is always something that needs to be done. We have our personal needs, maintenance issues that crop up, work tasks, and relationship needs among a thousand other things. There’s a lot going on all the time. In addition to our regular responsibilities, others may ask us for more even when we’re overloaded. We can try to dodge the additional tasks but most of us want to be helpful and try to do all we can. If we get overwhelmed, we can get hit by a ball and knocked out of the game altogether. If we allow ourselves to commit to too much, we may become overwhelmed and overworked. When that happens we have to stop and take ourselves out of the game until we can regroup and start again.

Most of us want to be helpful and do as much as we can for others. The problem is there are always more “others” than there are “us.” We have limits on our time and energy and if we fail to control how much time we’re promising away or how much energy we’ve committed to giving, we will lose in the end. It’s up to us to manage our time and if we can’t take on more, we need to dodge the ball by saying no. We can’t catch all the balls all the time. Understanding our limitations and working within them makes us successful and confident. Nobody can do everything. Only we know where our limits are. Recognizing them and doing our best to navigate them will make us successful and confident.

Today try to recognize where your limits are and work within them. You do a lot but you don’t have to do everything. Catch the balls you can and do your best. Let the rest go. You know what’s best for you. Do that and you’ll be confident and successful. You have so much to give. Be wise and manage your time. You’ll be happier and more successful when you do.

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Burnout

25 May

When we’re committed to a task or something we want to accomplish, we give all we can to the project.  We find time for it and make it a priority.  It becomes important to us and we’re determined to succeed.  But our lives are complex and we always have more than one thing going on.  We can make something a priority but to assume we will give it our complete focus 24 hours a day is unrealistic.  If we attempt to give the goal more energy than is workable we may burnout before we finish.  There are many facets of our lives in play all the time.  Nothing can take 100% of our attention 100% of the time.  It’s just not possible.  To expect that from ourselves or others is not reasonable.  Being committed is important when we want to accomplish something but being realistic in our expectations is important as well.

Burnout is a real possibility when we’re working hard on something.  We can narrow our focus so tightly we forget to do other things that are important.  We may skip meals to save time, forget appointments we need to attend, neglect sleep, and lose track of hours as we push through.  There is nothing wrong with being committed to a project or idea and making it a priority, but determining what is reasonable as we work through it will help us get to the goal more efficiently.  The human mind is a wonderful thing and we are capable of doing almost anything we set our minds to.  However, we must see the entire picture if we want to succeed.  Pushing ourselves beyond our limits generally will not help us achieve the goal faster.  Recognizing what is possible and doing what we can to achieve it is the best we can do.  It’s impossible to give more than we have and we must define where our boundaries lie before we begin.

The expectations of others can bring pressure to perform beyond what is reasonable.  Some will ask for more than is possible perhaps thinking that setting a lofty goal will push us to greater achievement.  When that happens, we may be encouraged to meet timelines that are impossible, or complete tasks that are beyond what can be done.  We may try our best to comply but if the expectation truly can’t be met nothing we do will make it happen.  It can be overwhelming as we try to meet impossible goals.  Despite the demands of others it’s important to understand what is realistic.  If we do our best and the goal is not achieved, we can be confident knowing we did everything possible.  We only fail if we don’t try and we succeed if we do our best, even if the objective isn’t realized.  There is a saying, “Anything is possible,” but that isn’t always true.  Recognizing what is real, what the limitations are, and what is truly possible makes us successful.  And when we do our best we succeed no matter the outcome.

Today if you’ve been trying to do too much and are starting to feel the burn, step back and look at the entire picture.  Determine what can be done and do your best to achieve it.  You can push your limits and still set your goals realistically.  You are capable of accomplishing great things.  Make a workable plan, implement it, and you’ll find success.

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Finding Ourselves

16 May

Learning who we are and what we want seems like an easy thing to do.  After all, we’re the only ones living inside our own heads.  But the complications of living in a world filled with others and their opinions and expectations, can muddy the waters.  We learn as we go and each day we discover something new about ourselves.  As we grow, we change and how we see ourselves changes as well.  They say it isn’t until we’re lost that we begin to find ourselves.  When we get lost and all the things we thought we could count on aren’t available, if our direction is spinning around and we feel untethered, we have only ourselves to rely on.  And when that happens, we learn who we really are.  When it’s just us and nobody else, when the light is dim and it’s hard to find our way, we must pull from resources inside us.  And when we do we find out how strong and capable we are, and we begin to understand how much we can really do.  Discovering who we really are and living a genuine life are great blessings that will bring us comfort, courage, and confidence.

This life is filled with signs and directions.  Go here, go there, do this, do that, stop, go, wait, it’s endless.  Everyone has an opinion about what we should do.  Some of those opinions mean a lot, and some of it is just noise created by our societal norms.  If we take a road trip and follow every sign we see, take every exit and every turn, all we’ll do is drive from place to place with no final destination.  Our lives are the same way.  If we don’t have a plan for our destination, if we don’t know what we want to do, and if we have no idea where we’re headed, we’ll end up spending our days going places but landing nowhere.

We don’t always have to get lost to figure out who we are and what we want, but we will have to pay attention.  Instead of going along with everything we encounter, we can take a moment and decide if it’s something we really want to do.  Instead of acting a certain way because it’s what’s expected, we can be genuinely who we are.  Our lives are in our control.  We can decide to do anything with them we choose.  But we have to make the choices if we want them to be ours.  We can go anywhere we want to go, but we have to take the journey.  We can be anything we want to be, but we have to do what’s needed for that to become reality.  It’s all in our power.  The only thing stopping us from doing it our way, is us.  We have sufficient courage and determination to create the lives we want.  Our lives can be a true reflection of who we are, and when they are, we find real happiness.

Today if you feel like you’re not moving forward the way you want to and you’re staying busy but feel stuck, think about what you want.  Think about who you really are and then begin to live your life the way that fits you best.  You are a gift to the world.  There has never been, nor will there ever be anyone else like you.  Be genuine.  Be yourself and share that uniqueness.  The world is better because you’re here.  Find yourself and you’ll find real happiness.

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Turn Around

13 May

Many times as we’re pushing forward in our lives and trying to accomplish the next thing, all we can see is what lies ahead.  We rejoice when things go well and we move forward, and struggle when we get hung up.  There is a lot to learn and do and as we continue on the road we focus on getting to the next thing.  As time passes if we stay focused and work hard we accomplish many things but there will always be something more to do.  There are limitless options available to us all the time.  Because of the endless things we could do there may be times when we feel we haven’t done enough, or haven’t accomplished as much as we had hoped.  If all we can see is the road ahead it’s easy to forget where we started and how far we’ve come already.  We can stop at times like those and turn around.  If we look back and see how much we’ve changed and done already our true focus will be restored.  The road is long in both directions – both going forward and going back.  Turning around and seeing where we’ve already traveled will remind us of how much we’ve accomplished, and give us the confidence and courage to continue on.

Ambition is a wonderful thing.  It gets us moving to learn and do new things, and sharpens our desire for change.  Being ambitious prevents us from falling into complacency.  Without it we may choose to coast along and let things play out the way they will.  Unfortunately, if we do that we don’t always end up where we want to be.  So having the desire to shape our own lives and create our own futures drives us to achieve the things we want most.  However, blind ambition isn’t always helpful.  If all we can think about is getting to the next place and everything we do depends on it, we may lose our connection with other things that make us happy.  Most things can’t be achieved overnight, nor do they generally need to be.  But if we’re impatient our ambition to get where we want to be can push us beyond our limits.  Finding a balance between achievement and happiness is important and will ensure that our days are not only successful but happy as well.

Accomplishment in the eyes of the world and in our own perspectives may differ.  What we want to do with our lives may not match what the world values.  But value is defined by what we want to achieve and not what it looks like to others.  Working hard and doing our best in all our endeavors are the most rewarding things we can do.  Remembering how far we’ve come and what we’ve already done will give us the assurance we need that we’re already successful and capable of doing anything we like.  The road is long in both directions.  Remembering how far we’ve traveled already will bless us going forward.

Today if you feel you haven’t done enough or accomplished all you wanted, turn around and look back.  You’ve come a long way and done many things well.  See them and acknowledge all your achievements.  You have everything you need to do anything you want.  You are a great success already.  Keep your eyes on the goal going forward but don’t forget where you’ve been.

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Complications

9 May

Our days come with lots of unexpected surprises. We never know what will happen to mix everything up. Other people have influence over our plans, and lots of things can change without notice. We can’t help the things that come to us that are out of our control, but sometimes we unnecessarily complicate our lives by the decisions we make. If we engage in gossip, are dishonest, manipulate others or situations, or play head games things can get complicated.  They can get even more complicated when the situation starts to unravel. If we make a habit of making bad choices, and doing things that create drama and confusion, our lives will be more difficult than they need to be.  And the complications that come from those actions may confound us for a long time, impeding our progress, and preventing us from moving forward. It isn’t hard to live a clean, straightforward existence but it takes continued diligence. If we tangle ourselves up in situations where we have to navigate unnecessary problems we may end up spending most of our time trying to clean up messes instead of focusing on where we want to go. We are capable of making excellent decisions. If we want to live our lives the best way possible we have to be careful before we choose. If we are, even though we can’t prevent things we can’t control, we will be able to do our best to make our lives as easy as possible.

Some people seem to need drama in their lives. They are constantly in difficult situations and continually make decisions that bring confusion and trouble. We’re all in charge of our own lives and can live them any way we want to. If we want to add complications we can. But our actions almost always impact those around us. If we make bad choices, often we aren’t the only ones who suffer because of them. Everything we do has the possibility of hurting someone else. Hurting others hurts us in the end and generally makes it hard to move forward. If we rethink our plans and choose the best answers at every turn, our lives will be easier and more fulfilling.

Drama is great for the stage. It’s terrific in movies and plays. But in our personal lives, there is enough regular drama without adding more by making poor decisions. It’s exhausting to constantly be trying to unravel problems and it’s difficult to get close to others when we’re all tangled up in ourselves. If we want to be happy, we need to find the paths that work best for us and take us where we want to go without adding unnecessary roadblocks that prevent us from moving forward. We all know what we want. We can do anything we like and we can be successful. But we must make decisions that move us closer to our goals. We can do that if we’re honest in all our dealings, and choose to do our best.  We can all be successful and happy. We just have to decide to do what is needed to get there.

Today if you’ve been tangled up in complications because of decisions you’ve made, clear the path and start again. Think carefully before you act and make sure you know where your decisions will take you. You can do anything and do it well. Decide to do your best and move forward. You have everything you need to succeed. Choose well and all the doors will naturally open for you.

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