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Today

26 Mar

Every day we live we have the chance to do anything we want to do. Every day brings with it the promise of happiness. Even if today doesn’t not turn out to be the best day of our lives, it is the only day we have. Yesterday is gone and will never return, and tomorrow is out of our control. All we have is today. We can decide how we’ll live it, what we’ll do, where we’ll go, and what we’ll learn. If we make the most of it, today may bring untold blessings and countless benefits. If we squander it just going through the motions it will pass, and nothing will be gained. We cannot stop the march of time. We can’t make it last longer or slow down. We can only navigate it as it comes and do our best to make the most of it. It’s easy to close our eyes and drift through the hours, mindless of what we’re doing and oblivious of what’s available. But our chance to live right now is fleeting, and the hours will be wasted if we don’t pay attention and live wide awake.

Today is a good day to start. If we’ve been thinking about something we want to do, somewhere we want to go, or someone we want to see, today is the perfect day to begin. We can take the first step on a new journey, or begin the plans we’ve been making and putting off. Sometimes just taking the first step is the hardest but once we’ve set our foot in the direction we want to go we can be off and running. Every dream is a possibility. Every goal is achievable, and today is a good time to start making them happen. We can set time aside and really begin to move in the direction we want to go. We can reorganize our priorities to make sure we continue moving forward, and we can succeed. If we aren’t quite ready, today is the day to start making a plan. Unrealized goals often bring with them frustration and unhappiness. If we are consciously working toward where we want to be and actively pursuing what we want to gain, we will find contentment even before we reach the goal. When we’re on the road moving forward we will gain the confidence we need to succeed.

If we’ve been grieving or hurting from something in the past, today is a good day to start letting go. No matter how many tears we’ve cried, no matter how many sleepless nights we’ve endured – it’s enough. Maybe we can’t let go of all the hurt but today we could look up and let happiness creep in just a little. Pain sometimes has its own timetable and we can’t rush it, but we can give ourselves a breather. We can take a day off from the worry and sorrow. It will still be there tomorrow if we return to it. But if we’ve had enough, we can choose today to let it go and move forward. Happiness is a gift we give to ourselves. Nobody else can give it to us. We have to decide to take it and make it a reality in our lives. This life flies by in an instant. We can choose to be happy and make the most of each day, and today is the perfect day to start.

Today – if you’ve been wanting to do something and haven’t begun, start. If you’ve been suffering and are ready to move forward, let it go. You are worth more than you know. The world is blessed because you are here, and your presence brings light to us all. Choose today to move forward and be happy. You deserve every happiness. You can have it. Today is the perfect day to get it.

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The Other Eleven

24 Mar

When we’ve set a goal for ourselves and we’re moving forward, sometimes along the way we have a setback. Maybe we lose our focus for a moment and go the wrong way, or go backward, or even stop altogether. No journey is without occasional bumps and detours and we expect them when we travel. When they happen we take them in stride, and just keep going. But when it’s a personal situation, when we’re trying to change something about ourselves or do something we want badly and we go sideways, we can feel frustrated. We might even convince ourselves we can’t succeed and think about quitting. If we take an egg from the carton and accidentally drop it, we don’t ever think of smashing the other eleven because one got broken. We just clean up the mess and continue on. When we lose our footing as we try to achieve something, we break the diet, forget the gym, or sleep in instead of working on the project, it’s like breaking one egg. We aren’t ruined. We haven’t failed. It’s just a slight detour. All is not lost. We can get back on the road and pointed in the right direction again. We are still capable of succeeding and we can keep going.

Detours happen for a lot of reasons. Sometimes we get tired of trying so hard. Sometimes we get distracted. And sometimes we forget our focus. Life is busy and complicated. No matter what we’re trying to accomplish, odds are it isn’t the only thing we have to do. We’re busy and our goals are just one of the things we’re involved with. But when they are important to us and we really want to accomplish them, they have to take precedence whenever possible. It isn’t always easy to juggle everything in our lives, and change is hard for most of us. But despite the detours that occur, no matter what the cause, if we’re determined to succeed we can re-align our path and begin to move forward again. There isn’t anything that will stop us from achieving our goals if we want them badly enough.

When we falter we can be stalled by self criticism and doubt. We might believe that because we haven’t achieved the goal yet, and we’ve gotten off the path again, we don’t have what we need to be successful. But that isn’t true. It doesn’t matter how many times we get sidelined. What matters is that we start again. And again. And again. We can’t go forward if we stop. We can’t achieve anything if we quit trying. If we drop one egg, we don’t have to smash the other eleven. No matter what has happened or how long it’s taken, we can still succeed. The only thing that will stop us is if we stop ourselves. There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish if we just keep pushing forward. Just one step more and we’ll be on the road again. We have everything we need to get to the goal. Nothing is strong enough to stop us.

Today if you’re feeling defeated because you’ve been side tracked and haven’t moved forward the way you wanted to, you can correct your course. Refine your focus and begin again. There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish. You have everything you need to succeed. You know what you want. Don’t let anything stop you from getting it. You deserve every blessing, and they will all be yours if you keep moving forward.

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Dropped the Ball

17 Mar

We all generally try to do our best every day. We try to make good decisions, try to be nice to those around us, and basically strive to be good people. But sometimes things get away from us and we fumble the ball. Maybe we get carried away in conversation and forget a commitment, say something we don’t really mean, or take revenge on someone we feel has hurt us in some way. When we act in ways that are beneath what we really want for ourselves we may feel really bad later, and if we let those we care about down, the disappointment in their eyes can be crushing. But we’re only human and we’re going to falter from time to time. Perfection is after all the goal and not the achievement. And so when we stumble and do the wrong thing, we have to find a way to make things right again. We have to listen when those we’ve negatively impacted tell us how they feel, and we have to take our lumps because we’ve earned them. It’s normal to make mistakes from time to time. It doesn’t mean we’re bad people, it doesn’t mean we don’t care, and it doesn’t mean we aren’t worthwhile. It just means we dropped the ball. And if we did, we can pick it right back up again.

Personal shame is a horrible feeling. Shame may be one of the most destructive emotions we can feel. It can not only make us feel bad about something we’ve done, if we aren’t careful, it can make us feel bad about who we are. If we feel great shame, depression may soon follow. We may believe that we’ll never get things right, that we’ll always screw up, and that we aren’t worth anything to anyone. But none of that is true. Just because we make a mistake doesn’t mean we never do things right. We often get it right and we are worth more than we can even imagine, even when we falter. If we play a game and drop the ball we may get a penalty, but we aren’t banned from the game forever more. It’s the same in life. If we go the wrong way, we aren’t finished. We just need to turn around and correct our course.

The penalties we face when we make mistakes should be commensurate with the negative impact they cause. Just like in law, the penalty should fit the crime. The same is true with our personal lives. If we forget to bake a promised batch of cookies, it shouldn’t destroy a relationship. But if we lie, cheat, and manipulate others, that might be the cost. It’s like a pendulum – it should swing equally in both directions. That’s important to remember when someone we care about lets us down. If we can keep our perspective when we tell them how we feel and don’t return more chastening than is needed, we have a better chance of preserving our relationships. We all make mistakes and sometimes we hurt others because of them. But nobody really wants to do things wrong and when we do, we deserve the opportunity to make things right again. Our relationships are important. Truly valuing them will help us heal and forgive as we move along.

Today if you’ve dropped the ball and someone has been hurt, you can pick it back up again. Offer to make things right and do everything you can to correct your course. If someone has made a mistake that has hurt you, remember when you’ve faltered and offer the chance for them to fix things. You can be kind and understanding. Extend your hand to turn things around and forgive. You’ll be able to make things better and you’ll be happier because of it.

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Consequences

16 Mar

Everything we do in our lives affects us in some way. If we make a small decision, the impact of that choice is usually small as well. For instance, if we choose French fries over onion rings neither choice will greatly impact our lives, and our decision is inconsequential. But when we’re making big decisions the consequences can be far reaching. If we are deciding which car to buy, which job to take, whom to date, or whether to move or not, the ramifications of our decision can have long lasting effects on our lives. Big decisions take thought and time to evaluate. We always want to make the choices we’ll be happy with that bring us the desired results. But sometimes, we don’t know how far reaching a decision will become until after we’ve made it. There are times when we decide something quickly because it doesn’t seem that important and then it impacts us in ways we couldn’t possibly have foreseen. We may shake our heads and wring our hands, and wish we could go back knowing what we know now. But the only thing we can do is press forward and resolve whatever has been impacted by the choice we made.

We make decisions based on the information we have at the time.  Sometimes we have all the facts, and sometimes there is no way to know everything.  If we’re trying to decide whether to take a new job or not, we may research the company, and talk to employees who work there.  We may evaluate the position and then if everything looks good, accept the job.  But we may discover despite all our research once we’re in the job it’s far too stressful and a terrible fit for us.  We did our homework but all the facts weren’t clearly available.  Even if we do everything we can, and pay attention, there are times when it’s impossible to know every result before we decide.  If it doesn’t turn out the way we hoped and the consequences are beyond what we want to manage, we will have to make another decision to move forward.  The best we can do is choose wisely from where we are.

If we do all we can to make a good decision and it doesn’t work out we are not at fault.  We can only see what we can see.  Sometimes things go awry and the best we can do if that happens is consider all our options going forward, and choose as wisely as possible.  It’s impossible to know everything, we can’t read the future, and there will always be unknown factors.  But if we take our time and consider everything possible before we choose, we’ll have the best chance of getting to the destination we’re seeking.  We are completely capable of making good choices that will take us where we want to go.  Nothing in this life is permanent and we can change any situation we’re in.  If the consequences of our decision are not what we hoped for, we can correct our course going forward.

Today if you’ve made a decision that didn’t work out and you’re in an uncomfortable situation because of it, you can change things.  You are capable of making excellent decisions and you will find your way through.  You are intelligent and wise.  Turn your course to reflect that.

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Directors

11 Mar

As we go through our lives we make millions of decisions. If those decisions don’t take us where we want to go, we may be unhappy. We may complain about our lot in life and think it’s unfair. We might say we should have gotten this or that, and we’re unhappy with our relationships, or family, or jobs.  We may say we never got the chance to do the things we wanted. However, we choose the direction of our lives and each choice we make takes us somewhere. If we aren’t going where we want to go we’re the only ones who can change it. We have the option to change anything at any time. If we’re unhappy we can change to find happiness. If we’re in a difficult relationship and feel uncomfortable, we can leave. If we’re unfulfilled in our jobs, we can find better ones. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, if we aren’t happy, we can chart a new course. There are a lot of reasons why we continue in situations that aren’t beneficial to us. If we’re unhappy and do nothing, we will continue to be unhappy.  But if we want to change, we can.  The choice is always ours. In the end, the choices we make give us the life we want most because it’s the life we’ve chosen.

Life can be complicated.  There’s a lot going on all the time.  Our relationships are important and we can get caught up in situations other people choose for us even if we don’t want them ourselves. We may feel we need to go along to keep the peace, or maybe it’s just easier. If we do that, we may end up living a life that isn’t genuinely ours but a reflection of what someone else thinks it should be. Our lives belong to us and every day is precious. What we do with our days is important. If we go along and make choices because we feel pressure or want to please someone else, we give away the chance to be ourselves. We are all unique and possess specific gifts for the world. If we keep those inside and only share what we’re told we should, or what’s expected, the world will miss the great blessings we have to offer. Nobody can give the world our gifts but us. We will always be at our best when we are uniquely and perfectly ourselves.

When movies are made, directors tell the actors what to do and how to do it in order for the desired message to be communicated. If we allow others to director our lives, we communicate the message they have to tell, not our own. But our messages are important and they are valuable. The way we see the world is different than anyone else. We don’t need a director to tell us what to do. We already know what we want to do. If we allow ourselves to make the choices we really want to make, we’ll be happy. We have all the courage we need to take control or our lives, and all the wisdom we need to find our way. In the end, we will surely end up with the lives we choose, good or bad. We make our own destiny. We can determine to make it happy, and uniquely ours. If we do, every day will bring us new promise, and our futures will bring us joy.

Today if you haven’t been living the life you really want, or if you dream of things being different, you can change. You can live your life any way you want to. You can do anything. You have everything you need to be happy and fulfilled. You know what you want. Point your eyes in the direction that will take you there. Choose your own path and determine your destiny. You have everything you need to get

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