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Super Highway

3 Mar

When we’re on a road trip and want to get to our destination quickly, we may choose a super highway to get there.  They are generally wide with several lanes, often in good condition and well paved.  Although there may be many cars traveling along with us, there are no stoplights to slow us down as we go.  Highways are popular, well-traveled and often busy.  In our lives when we’re deciding what we want to do and where we want to go, we can choose the path most people travel.  We can take the popular road and walk forward along with others doing what is expected.  There is nothing wrong with going with the flow but if we want to, we can turn off the main road and take an exit.  We can choose a path that isn’t well traveled, where the terrain is rocky because it hasn’t been worn down, and opt for a destination that is different from the norm.  Sometimes the most beautiful places are hidden away, and the most desirable outcomes are those that are hard to reach.  Super highways are great and we can always travel them.  But if we want our lives to be different, and prefer to travel someplace higher, we can take a turn off the highway.  We may design our own road forward, and choose a destination that is off the beaten path.

Some people prefer everyone to be the same, look the same, make similar choices and have common goals.   It’s often easier to relate to others who are like us.  We understand them because their choices are similar to ours and we may feel comfortable around them because they feel familiar.  But we aren’t clones of one another and we have the power to design our lives any way we want.  Even if we’ve been going along with the ideas of others for a time, if we decide we want to change course, we can.

As we travel on busy highways sometimes the scenery doesn’t change for hours.  Highways tend to be somewhat generic and it doesn’t matter where we are, they look about the same.  After some time we may not even notice what we’re passing as we move forward.  But every mile we travel is time we’re spending and once gone, can never be replaced.  We can look up and really see what’s around us and decide if we want to continue or make a change.  If we see something interesting off the road, we can choose to move toward it and leave the busy lanes behind.  There may be brambles in our way because nobody has cleared them, there may be things we must climb over to go forward, and we may need to turn a few times to continue forward.  But if the destination ahead is where we want to go we have everything we need to overcome anything to get there.  We can chart our own courses, and create our own paths.  We have everything we need to succeed and once we decide on a destination there is nothing strong enough to keep us from it.

Today if you’ve been traveling the same road with others and have decided you want something different, look around and decide where you really want to go.  Chart your own course forward and begin.  Every destination is there for you.  Choose what you want most and head toward it.  You will succeed and arrive exactly where you want to be.

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Cake

28 Feb

Cake is delicious and most of us enjoy it from time to time. If we want to bake it ourselves, we must pull together all the ingredients and combine them to get the best results. If we don’t have an ingredient we may be able to substitute something instead but we can’t usually leave something important out and expect things to go well. In our lives, we have lots of opportunities to try new things and with each endeavor we need the skills and tools – the ingredients – to be successful. Sometimes we may have some of the things necessary and must work to gain the remaining items before we begin. Other times we may have everything we need to accomplish a goal but instead of moving forward we wait. Perhaps we aren’t confident we can succeed, or there are others telling us we will fail. We may wait until we feel sure or we may forge ahead and go after success now. There may be obstacles but we have everything we need to manage any difficulty before us. It takes heat to make a cake and it takes work to achieve our goals. When we want to accomplish something, we can pull our talents together and face anything that comes as we press forward. We have everything we need to succeed and when we’re ready there is nothing that will stop us.

No matter what we’re working toward there will likely be complications along the way. There are few times in our lives when everything goes exactly as planned. We’re flexible enough to adjust our trajectory going forward if something is in our way and wise enough to figure out any problem we may have to solve. If we are determined to achieve something, and if we’re willing to do what it takes to move forward, we will succeed. Success doesn’t just happen because we want it. We must see the objective clearly, determine what we must do to achieve it, and then work toward the goal. Each step forward brings us closer to where we want to be. If we stumble we can correct our course. If take a wrong turn we can revise our plans. Working diligently and consistently will get us to the destination we’re seeking.

There are lots of choices in the world. Before we do anything we first must decide what it is we want to accomplish. We must determine what we want to do and where we want to go. Even if we know we want cake, there are dozens of flavors we can choose. Do we want chocolate, vanilla, cherry, black forest, German chocolate, Boston cream or something else? The same is true in our lives. Our choices are limitless and we can’t move forward if we don’t know where we want to go. We can determine what we want most to accomplish, and then we can make a plan to achieve the goal. There isn’t anything we can’t do. Our lives are ours to design. Once we decide what we really want there is nothing that will stop us from success.

Today decide what you want most and where you want to go. The world is here for you and you can do anything you choose. Be confident. There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish. Determine what you want most and then plan to achieve it. Success is waiting for you. Take the first step toward it today.

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When it Hurts

14 Feb

We make millions of decisions as we go through our lives. Some of them are easy and we process them quickly and move on. We want to make good choices and choose the best possible options available so we can be happy with the results that follow. That’s sometimes quick and easy but there are other times when our decisions are more difficult. It’s hard to make the best decision when that choice will take away something we want or move us in a direction we don’t want to go. We may be in a situation where the best path forward in the long run hurts us right now. The best things in our lives are worth working for and sometimes in order to get to a goal we must endure uncomfortable situations along the way. It takes courage to choose well and even more courage when those choices hurt. Sometimes in order to accomplish our dreams we must sacrifice something along the way. We can weigh out each choice, see the road ahead and choose the best option going forward. If it’s a hard decision and creates discomfort we can walk through it, learn all we can and use that knowledge to navigate the way ahead. We know what we want most and we can do what it takes to get it.

Life isn’t always a bed of roses. Sometimes it may seem that everything works against us and no matter what we do we can’t make any headway. In those complicated times when things get difficult and we’re inundated with issues and problems, we may consider giving up on the goal altogether. It’s hard to keep trying when everywhere we turn there’s another wall in our way. But nothing is impossible and if we’re facing obstacles it only means we need to find another road forward. There are countless ways to any goal we set. If one road doesn’t get us there, we can choose another. If that one ends in a detour we can turn again. We can modify our course as many times as it takes to get to the destination and as long as we don’t quit, we don’t fail.

There is no way to know all the complications we may face when we begin a journey. We can make excellent plans for how we’ll proceed, do all the research we can to make sure our plans will work, and still things may go wrong. If we really want to reach the goal we can prepare for any eventuality no matter how complex, and determine that we will persevere and continue forward. If we are determined we will more effectively navigate any disappointments or problems we encounter and even if we must back up for a time, will be able to continue moving ahead. There really isn’t anything we can’t do if we are determined. We can keep stepping forward in the face of trouble and if we refuse to quit we will win. Temporary setbacks are only opportunities to re-focus. We can do anything. There isn’t anything we can’t face and overcome.

Today if you must make a decision to move forward that is uncomfortable and difficult, keep your eyes on the goal ahead. There is nothing too complex for you to overcome and you will find the answers you need. Success is there waiting for you. Choose well and you will reach it.

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Shooting the Moon

9 Feb

We all have goals we want to achieve and in our zeal to accomplish them we might make plans that very aggressive and challenging. We may decide we’ll make great changes overnight in order to achieve something quickly that often takes time. It’s good to have lofty goals and creating a plan that’s workable will help us find success more easily than one that’s extreme. For instance, if we seek personal wealth we may decide we’re going to work hard and in a year double our salary. If we want to change our fitness level, we may plan to go to the gym for two hours every single day. Or if we want to improve our diets we may swear off all sweets – forever. While these plans are certainly impressive we may not be able to adhere to them simply because of the intense changes needed to make them work. Finding the right method of accomplishing our goals is the first step. We can shoot for the moon and hope we make it, or we can determine what we can reasonably do each day to move us closer and make a plan we can more easily adapt to. Change never happens overnight. The important thing is to arrive at the destination, not how fast we get there.

Every small step forward we keep is a victory. We don’t have to change 100% right away and each step forward takes us closer to the goal. Even small advances are victories and if we are consistent will bring us success. If we only advanced a quarter of a percent each day we tried, and then only tried half the time, in a year we will have advanced almost half way to the goal. Small steps move us forward and each time we step forward our confidence will rise. Aiming too high too quickly often ends in failure. If we push too hard it may be difficult to accomplish the task. Understanding change and not speed is the goal will help us be more successful.

There may be times we feel we should have come further than we have in the time we’ve been pressing forward. We may feel we should have been able to get more done, or become more masterful at something. When we’re starting a new goal, or beginning a new behavior it’s impossible to know all the changes we’ll have to make to incorporate it successfully into our lives. We can imagine some of the work we’ll have to do but until we’re actually in the process of making the change we can’t see everything. While we’re striving to achieve, we can keep our eyes focused on making small adjustments that will move us forward. We can determine to continue despite any setbacks and if we don’t stop we will reach the goal. Life is long enough for us to accomplish anything. Step by step, making small successful moves will get us to every goal we desire. We have everything we need to succeed and there isn’t anything too difficult for us to achieve.

Today if you feel frustrated that you haven’t yet reached your goal, look back and see how far you’ve come already. Every step you take gets you closer to where you want to be. Continue forward. You know where you want to go and you have everything you need to get there. Move the dial a little closer today and tomorrow do the same. You’ll reach the goal and find success.

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Plan B

24 Jan

As we’re working out problems and getting things done, sometimes the first scenario we devise doesn’t work. Even when we’re absolutely sure there is no way it can fail, sometimes things don’t go the way we hope they will. If it’s something we prepared for and are confident our plan forward is the only way to get to the goal, it may be hard to regroup and come up with something else. When we’re confident and sure and still nothing works, it may be hard to figure out what to do next. Of course, there is never only one solution to any problem or one answer to any question. There is always another option possible and if we consider everything openly, those options will become apparent. If plan A didn’t work, we can come up with plan B. And if that doesn’t work, we can come up with something else. We are capable of imagining many scenarios and creating different processes to move forward. It may take time and it may not be easy, but if we are determined we will find the right answers. We have a lot of resources available to us all the time. There are others around us who may help, there are countless ways to research any situation, and we can start anew when we’re ready. If we don’t accomplish our goal the first time, we can try again. We can try as many times as it takes and if we keep trying we will find success.

When we’re excited about something new and eager to get started, we may plunge in head first ready to take on the challenge and conquer it. Motivation is a great tool that pushes us forward but plunging in head first may take our eyes off our direction forward. If we want to get things done quickly and only focus on speed, we may miss an important turn and run into a blockade. If we get caught up in our enthusiasm, we may neglect to do what is needed to prevent unnecessary complications. Speed may be important in some arenas but all the speed in the world won’t help us if we’re on the wrong road. Taming our enthusiasm enough to allow us to navigate efficiently will get us to the goal quickly and effectively. We don’t have to jump in head first to show our commitment. We can swim steadily and strongly forward with our eyes on the goal and arrive at our destination.

There may be times when others in our lives create detours for us along the way. Perhaps they don’t like our plans and do things that create complications, or they don’t think we’re going the right way and stand in front of us to block our path. We don’t need the agreement of others to accomplish our personal goals. If there are barriers in our way, we can navigate around them. If there are detours, we can reroute our way forward. We can accomplish any goal we desire even if it means we must change our course to get there. We are intelligent and flexible enough to find our way through anything. If we keep our sights set on the way forward we will be successful.

Today if the road you’ve been on has ended in a detour, re-chart your course. You know where you want to go and you have everything you need to get there. Keep moving ahead. The goal is attainable and you will reach it. Be confident. You have everything you need to succeed.

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