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Falling Rocks

13 Dec

There are a lot of unexpected things that happen to us as we go through our days. Sometimes they are fun and delightful, and sometimes they are a headache that snags up our time and complicates everything. Many times, surprises come without notice and we may be caught off guard, but sometimes there is a warning that something is coming and we should be careful. We may listen to the warning or ignore it and see what happens. In mountainous terrains, there are often warning signs that say, “Falling Rocks” on the sides of the road. There may be steep cliffs and sometimes they have heavy screens over them in an effort to keep rocks from falling on passing cars. The warning sign is not a prediction that rocks will fall as we drive through but a warning that they may. It’s a prompt to make us aware and remind us to keep a watchful eye for what could happen. At the end of the journey if we have navigated through without incident we may forget all about the warning and continue on. But without it in place, as we travel through a possibly perilous area, we would be unaware of the danger. Awareness of any possible problem can give us a heads-up and help us to make wiser choices. If we know that something may go wrong, we may more effectively prepare and be ready.

In our lives, we sometimes get warnings of what might happen to us going forward. Maybe someone advises us to be careful when dealing with someone else, or we hear of a problem in a location where we’re going. There may be times when we feel a silent warning as we prepare to do something and perhaps a prompt that we should do it a little differently. We may feel inspired to take a different road or talk to someone before proceeding. Although we sometimes have no reason to follow a warning, taking a moment to think about it may be wise. There is generally a reason why we’ve received the information and if we consider it valuable instead of just blowing it off we may make better decisions. Being prepared for what may happen will enhance our confidence as we navigate the road ahead.

We can’t live a full and meaningful life if we are afraid. We must be bold going forward and willing to take some risks. Although we may feel some hesitation, if we’ve done everything we can to prepare for the road ahead, we can go forward with confidence that no matter what comes we’ll handle it. Fear is something we all experience from time to time. Some of us have more of it than others, and although it’s wise to pay attention when we feel it, we can courageously plan our steps forward and bravely take them. There really isn’t any situation we’ll face that we won’t be able to figure out. If things go wrong, we’ll redirect our course. If the rocks fall, we can dodge them.

Today if you feel some trepidation about your plans, do what is needed to ensure your path and move forward with confidence. Pay attention to any warnings you receive and choose the best road. You have everything you need to succeed. Nothing will stand in your way. Go forward with confidence and success will follow.

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Small World

8 Dec

There are a lot of things we can do in life. There are places to see, people to meet, things to learn and unlimited experiences we can have if we want them. If we want big lives and are open to all kinds of new ideas, we may try many different things. We can travel the world, learn anything that interests us, and do just about anything we dream about. Or we can choose to have a small world by keeping our lives close and only doing what’s comfortable and familiar. If we are brave enough to expand our experiences to new things, we’ll learn more about life and about ourselves. Even if we think something is impossible at first, we often find that once we start we can accomplish far more than we imagined. There is a lot to experience and limitless things to learn. We can only live our days once and then they are gone. Making the most of the time, and stretching our view will create a deeper, richer experience. We can do far more than we think we can. There is so much to see and do and even if we’re intimidated by an experience at first, we can accomplish it. Reaching beyond where we are will teach us new things and broaden our understanding. We may choose a small world where everything is predictable or we may reach further and magnify every single day.

Our lives are ours to design and if we aren’t happy with what we’re doing we can change. We are in control and can do anything we want to do. If we feel unfulfilled or unchallenged, we can choose another path. Our lives are valuable and what we do with them is up to us. We can fill every moment moving toward where we want to be or we can tread water and stay in the same place. It can be scary to try new things and the unknown is often intimidating. But things are only unknown until we open the door and experience them. Then they belong to us. We can reach further than we think we can and do more than we believe. We have enough courage to stretch into the unknown.

If we like, we may keep our lives small and not expand them more than we must. We may stick with what we know and where we feel comfortable. Repetition brings predictability and if we do the same things every day we know what to expect and where the boundaries lie. But repetition may also bring boredom and dissatisfaction. After a time, we may feel unsettled doing the same things over and over again. When we’re ready to venture forward we can open new doors that will bring new experiences and a freshness to our lives. We don’t have to keep our world small to be safe. We can stretch and try new things and expand ourselves to make the unknown ours. There is so much to experience in life. We can do anything we want to do and go as far as we like. If we reach further our lives will be richer and deeper and our understanding will increase.

Today if you’ve been doing the same things for a while and are ready to try something new, go for it. There really isn’t anything you can’t do. This life is the time to experience things and stretch. You can have big, bold experiences beyond what you imagine. Try something new and reach for the stars. They are there for you.

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Name Three

14 Nov

We all have a lot of gifts and abilities. Most of us try to do things well as we go along and sometimes we succeed. But there are times we may face difficulty and feel overwhelmed. When our lives get stressful and things go wrong we may get to the point where we feel we can’t do anything right. If lots of things go awry at the same time it can seem that no matter what we do, nothing works. We may begin to feel like failures and believe we will never succeed. At times like that we can re-focus by simply naming three things that are going right. No matter what’s going on we are successful in at least three areas. When we’re overwhelmed and feel like we’re failing, there are at least three things we’re doing well, and chances are there are many things we are doing well. Even in our darkest moments some things are going right. Perhaps we are facing the situation with patience, or we are able to continue to be kind to those around us, or we didn’t complain all day today. There are things we are doing well all the time and if we look at those instead of all the things that are going wrong we will be uplifted. Hard times take a toll but we are strong and even if we feel defeated for a time we will find our way.

It’s easy to internalize our struggles and make them personal. We may blame ourselves for getting into this mess, for decisions we made that created our situation, or for weaknesses we perceive in ourselves that brought us here. It doesn’t matter how we got into our difficult situation. What matters is how we manage it and how we find our way through. Blame never solves anything. If we made mistakes that brought us hardship, we can learn from them. If we took a wrong turn that created a bad situation, we know the road better now. If we made a choice that opened the wrong door, we won’t make it again next time. We can learn from every step we take and choose differently in the future. In the meantime, we can review our situation and options, and find our way through any difficulty we’re experiencing.

It’s hard to feel confident when we’re suffering. It’s hard to remember we do things well when our lives are in turmoil. But the suffering and turmoil don’t change the fact that we really are good at many things and we can count on those attributes to help us through. Nobody is a failure at everything or without redemption. We all have a lot to draw on, things we know and do well, and we can find our way through any problem that ensnares us. If feelings of failure come, we can step back and remember this is just a passage. We will overcome it, we will survive it, and we will learn new ideas that will help us in the future. We do many things well and we are capable and strong. We can focus on that and continue forward with confidence.

Today if you’re overwhelmed with a big problem and you feel like a failure think of three things you do well. No matter what is happening you are doing things right. This is just a complication and you have all the strength and wisdom you need to navigate it. You will find your way through and learn more to help you going forward. You do so many things well. Remember them and keep moving forward.

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Tough Up

8 Nov

There are lot of things to learn in life. Some of them come easily and we enjoy the journey as we progress along. Others are more difficult and we struggle as we try to move forward. It’s true that often anything worth learning will get more difficult before it gets easier. There may be more details than we anticipated, and sometimes we may get stumped trying to figure out the way forward. But if we want to learn and are motivated to accomplish any task we can find our way. It may take longer than we thought when we started, it may be more complicated than we anticipated, and at some point, it might even feel like it’s impossible. But there really isn’t anything we can’t do if we want to badly enough. We can figure out what needs to be done, we can work any problems that arise until we solve them, and we can succeed. The question will be how much we really want the goal. When things go awry and we get lost we’ll have to decide if going forward is worth the cost. If it is, nothing can stop us but if we’re unsure we may give up. It’s impossible to learn anything by giving up. If we want to grow and develop new skills, we must press forward.

Everyone has a different level of tolerance when it comes to complications. Some people are tenacious and never let go until they reach their goals. Others persevere until things get very difficult or confusing and will then decide to opt out. And there are some who will choose a goal and the very first complication will change their minds. There are complications in everything. If we quit the first time they arise we will never learn anything new or accomplish much. We will stay as we are until we tough up enough to be willing to face difficulty and find our way through it. We have enough courage to face whatever comes to us and we can dedicate as much effort as we choose to any goal we want. We can learn anything, do anything, and gain all the experiences we want if we are determined to get them.

We all have more determination and courage than we think we do. When our lives get suddenly complicated or difficult they rise and we draw on them to navigate our way through. We may forget how much we are capable of if we only go through the motions in our lives. There is so much we can learn and do that is outside our regular scope. We can have lives filled with new experiences and if we are determined to achieve them we will be enriched and strengthened. Everything we overcome and conquer gives us more confidence making the next challenge easier. Our lives belong to us and we can design them any way we wish. They can be filled with new experiences, challenges and opportunities for growth. We can do anything. We are capable of being tough enough to face any situation that comes and we can succeed.

Today if you want to try something new or stretch your life in a new direction but are concerned about the challenge, be strong. There isn’t anything you can’t overcome. You have all the wisdom and courage you need to conquer anything. Press forward. Live your dreams. Everything is waiting for you.

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Prove It

7 Nov

Sometimes when we’re involved with others and they want to be sure of our commitment they may ask us to prove our allegiance. They may want us to do something to prove we’ll stay the course. If we’ve wavered in our commitments in the past an additional reassurance may be requested. Whether we like it or not, others watch us and notice what we do, and what we say. If we are honest in all our dealings and have proven over time that we will keep our word, such requests aren’t necessary. If we are true to our word, keep our commitments, and are always honest and fair, we’ll be trusted. However, if we manipulate the truth to suit our needs, change our minds as things develop, or fail to show it will be harder for others to believe us when we agree to anything. History has a way of following us around and if that history is unreliable, it may be hard to shake. We are what we do and it’s impossible to prevent others from seeing our true selves.

Living well takes effort. It’s so easy to lie and manipulate the truth when what’s real doesn’t suit us or negatively impacts us. We can pretend things are different than they are, that we’ve done things differently than we have, and that we didn’t mean to do something that caused discomfort. It takes very little energy to change a story when the truth is inconvenient. But everything we do becomes part of our personal legacy. Those around us see everything – even the things we don’t think they see. They notice when we lie about the check at the restaurant, or say we called when we didn’t, or pretend we didn’t hear them when we’re really ignoring them. Dishonesty always uncovers itself in the end. Even if we get away with it for a time, it will catch up to us and be exposed. And those around us will learn they can’t trust us, even if we give our word.

If we want to have the trust of those around us we must choose to be honest in everything we do. There is no sliding scale for honesty, it doesn’t depend on situations, and it’s not arbitrary. Honesty is simply living truthfully no matter what. If we make a mistake, we must own it. If we drop the ball on a commitment, we must do what is needed to repair the situation. We can be open and honest about our shortcomings whatever they are and then do what is needed to correct them. Nobody is perfect and we all falter from time to time. If we are honest about our lives and choose in every instance to be forthcoming and clear about the truth, those around us will trust us and open doors for us. Thomas Jefferson said, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” As we seek for wisdom, we must first seek to be honest. If we do, we will never have to prove ourselves to others. Our actions will be all the proof we need.

Today if you’ve been changing the truth to make things easier, choose to live in complete honesty. You can make excellent choices and correct anything you need to going forward. Be the best you can be and let others trust you and know who you really are. Be the light of truth and set the example to those around you. The trust you earn will be worth more than you can imagine.

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