Archive | Diligence RSS feed for this section

Happy or Sad

26 Apr

We go through a lot of things in this life. Sometimes all runs smoothly and we feel happy and content. Other times things go wrong and we’re stressed and unsettled. There is no way to predict what each day will bring and even if we try our hardest to ensure things go well, sometimes there’s a ringer we didn’t plan on and we fall flat. We can’t control a lot of what comes to us but we can control how we react to it. If we’ve had a disappointment it may impact how we feel and what we do. But we can control our behavior and our attitude can affect how we see things and how we go forward. If we want to fall into despair and believe that things will never be right again, we can. Or we can see our disappointments, no matter how great they are, as passages leading to something new. We may not feel content, and we may be unsure, but we can still find joy no matter what we’re going through. If we want to, we can choose to be happy despite any disappointment. Happiness doesn’t just come to us. It’s often a choice we make. No matter what comes we’ll handle it, and as we do, we can find comfort. Since there isn’t anything we can’t manage, we can go forward with confidence and grace, and we can do it with joy.

This life has a lot of ups and downs. Situations and other people affect our lives continually. Those influences can be both a benefit and a detriment. When things go wrong and we’re struggling it can be hard to find joy. But we can be genuine in our disappointment and still look forward with confidence. We can go through hard times, face them head on, and find peace knowing we’re doing the best we can. No matter how difficult the trial, no matter how upset or sad we are or how disappointed we feel, we can still decide to find happiness going forward. No problem is permanent and everything shakes out eventually. We may end up on a completely different road than we thought we were headed for, but that just means the journey has taken a turn. It isn’t over, and we’ve only modified our direction. The twists and turns in our lives take us to new places we may never have dreamed of and wherever they take us we will find our way.

We are often more capable than we think we are. There really isn’t anything we can’t do. When we face difficult trials and serious disappointments, we have the resources within us to manage them. At first we may not believe we can get through but as time passes we’ll see we are coping and moving forward. If we focus on the goal instead of the journey, and the destination instead of the rocky road we’re on, we will get through more easily. And if we determine to find happiness in each day no matter what comes, the journey will be brighter and easier to navigate. Happy or sad, it’s often up to us. Our shoulders are strong enough to bear whatever burdens come. And the sun will continue to shine. If we focus on our strength instead of the heavy load we’re carrying, we will find joy and comfort.

Today if you’re feeling sad or disappointed, if the road seems impossible to navigate, look up. You’ve come so far already and there isn’t anything you can’t do. You have more blessings than you can count. Think about those and focus on the road ahead. Take control. There isn’t anything you can’t do, and you can do it with joy.

Tags: , ,

Pave the Road

23 Nov

As we go through our lives we all have dreams and hopes for things we’d like to happen. But we get busy with everyday responsibilities and those things can get pushed back. Sometimes our lives interfere with our plans, and before we know it, days, weeks, months, even years can slip by and we find ourselves wondering how we got so far down the road and didn’t do what we intended to do. If we aren’t careful we may find ourselves living our entire lives and never accomplishing things we wanted to do. But if we are aware and focus on where we want to go, even if it means we have to wait a while, we can make sure we do everything. We can, even when we’re busy, set things in motion that will ensure we do what’s important to us.  We can begin to the pave the road before we’re ready to walk on it.

Paving a road takes several steps.  First the old pavement must be removed.  Once that’s done a base is laid as a foundation.  Finally the smooth finished layer is applied.  We can pave our personal roads in the same way.  First we may need to remove old patterns or behaviors that will allow us to begin.  Even if we’re busy doing other things we can work on that a little every day.  If what we want to do requires a skill we don’t yet have, we can prepare the foundation by doing what is needed to gain it. Perhaps a course of study is required, or someone to tutor us in the new skill.  Maybe what we want to learn can be gained by researching on our own.  Whatever it takes, once we’ve attained the new skills needed our base is ready, and we are prepared.  We can then go forward and make the change and achieve the goal by applying ourselves.

Learning new patterns, planning for change, and implementing new behaviors require time and effort. There is an old saying that anything worth doing is worth doing well. If we want to bring some effective change into our lives, we must plan to do it the best we can. Our dreams are never mediocre. When we dream of success in anything, we dream we’ll be great at it. Nobody hopes for average performance. When we want something more, something different, or something we yearn for, we want to do it well and master it. If we plan, and remember every single day where we want to go, we can pave the road.  When we’re prepared and ready we’ll reach the goal. We can do anything we want to do. There isn’t anything too difficult or too big for us. If we plan for it, if we prepare, and if we are consistent, we can achieve anything.

Today if you’ve been dreaming of a change you want to make but have been stuck, do one thing that will help you get closer to it. Begin to prepare, start the foundation, and focus on the goal. Be diligent and consistent in moving forward and you will not only succeed, but will master the task and be triumphant. You can do anything. There is nothing that can stop you. Open the door. You can see the road you want to be on.  Start paving.

Tags: , ,

Newer Entries →