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Just Passing Through

6 Sep

Life is a journey and each day we move a little further down the road. We’re always moving forward to something else and we meet people, make friends, build relationships, and experience countless things. Wherever we go and whatever we do there are things to learn and see. It’s a continual journey. Nothing stays the same forever and no matter where we are we will move forward to something new. We can plan and prepare for the kind of lives we want and we can succeed. But even after achieving goals we desire, we will continue on the journey. There is no end to the road here on earth until our lives end. We may be settled in, live in the same place, work the same job and associate with the same people for years on end, but our personal journeys continue. We are always learning and growing. Although we may be directed in one way or another, where we’re headed is often up to us. We can look ahead and determine exactly where we want to be and guide our path in that direction. Our lives belong to us and we are in control of them. We can achieve anything we desire. We can go anywhere we choose. There isn’t anything we can’t do and despite what comes we can decide where our journey will take us.

Disappointment and sorrow are a part of life. Nobody gets a life filled with rainbows and sunshine every single day. Things will go wrong. We will be hurt. We may suffer grief and despair, loneliness and sadness, and we may feel overwhelmed. But no matter where we are, we are only passing through. We won’t remain in any situation forever. Life cannot be stopped. It always continues forward and as it does, our situations will change. If we are sad, the sadness will lift. If we are despairing, the answers will come. If we are heartbroken, we will heal. Time continues on and brings with it the soothing balm of relief. We sometimes can’t believe we’ll ever get through when we’re struggling with very difficult situations, but we will find a way. Each day that passes will bring comfort and peace and no matter how bad a situation is, it will change. Our happiness will return and the light will shine again.

Sometimes we may decide we want to change course. We may want to find a new road to travel. If we’re headed to a destination we no longer desire, we can turn another way. We can change anything at any time. It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been going along or if others think we should keep traveling forward. We can step off and start another path whenever we choose. It’s all up to us. We can go anywhere we want to go and do anything we want to do. Our lives belong to us. We can pass through places that don’t fit and continue on. We can choose our personal destination at any time. We can have the lives we really want, do the things we most want to do, and be the people we strive to be. We can do anything.

Today if you’ve been passing through and you’re not where you really want to be, adjust your course. You can do anything. You know who you are and what you want. You can make all your dreams come true. Turn your direction to the destination you desire. Everything you’re hoping for is waiting for you and you will have it.

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Too Far

24 Aug

When we’re trying to move forward we sometimes push ourselves beyond our comfort zones. We reach further than we have before in an effort to get ahead and stretch our capabilities. We are often capable of doing more and when we’re striving for success we test our limits to see how far we can go. It’s important to stretch if we want to achieve and we sometimes surprise ourselves at what we can accomplish with determination. But sometimes we push too far and when we do we may be hurt. We may over commit our time and then find we can’t keep our promises, or work too many hours and end up completely exhausted and unable to do anything. We should push to be the best we can but we must be mindful of where the lines are. There are limits to everything and recognizing those limits will help us find success. Learning to work around limitations enables us to achieve results more effectively and easily, and prevents us from going too far and potentially getting hurt.

Our physical limitations change over time. What we used to do easily years ago may be harder to accomplish as time goes by. Even if we are fit and healthy our abilities will change over time. It can be hard to accept the need to modify and sometimes we may ignore the signals and push ourselves beyond our limits. We may think that because we believe we can do it, we can do it. There is nothing wrong with high aspirations, but reasoning must be a part of the picture as well. If we truly cannot accomplish a task without injury, it’s foolish to try. When we go beyond what we can reasonably accomplish, we may get hurt. And getting hurt and having to take time out to heal and correct our course works against our progress. It’s best to understand and accept our real limitations and work around them. We can modify any plan for success and ensure it’s the best plan for us going forward.

We all have personal expressions for what works best for us. There are some situations we do well in and others that are more difficult for us. We can all grow and learn and change but every personality is different. For example, perhaps we work great in groups but working alone is difficult for us. If we accept positions or situations where we’re forced to work alone we won’t find the success that an atmosphere of team work would bring us. We can recognize our personal expressions and build our lives in ways that bring us the most success instead of trying to push ourselves to conform to a model that doesn’t fit. We can set our priorities to maximize what works best for us to reach our highest potential. We are unique and understanding where our personal limits are will give us great confidence and certainty, and bring us success.

Today if you’ve been pushing too hard and are feeling the pain use another strategy. You don’t have to get hurt to be successful. Find the plan that works best for you. You have everything you need to succeed and there isn’t anything you can’t do. What works best for you is the best plan going forward. Choose your unique path and you’ll find great success.

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Listen to Me

25 Jul

We know what’s best for us and what we want to do with our lives.  We know where we want to go and what we want to achieve.  Because we are effective in managing our own lives, sometimes we may think we can help others manage theirs.  Maybe we see them making the same mistake over and over again, and decide to give them advice we think will help.  Sometimes we may really have the answers for someone else’s problems, but that doesn’t mean we can tell them what to do.  If we care for them we can certainly offer our help and give them advice that may assist them.  But once we’ve done that it’s up to them to follow it or not.  They might listen to us or they may ignore the advice.  Their decisions belong to them and even if the counsel we’ve offered is helpful, they may choose their own way.  It can be frustrating to see someone we care about stumble when we’re trying to help them but their decisions are theirs to make.  We can’t make them listen to us.  They have the right to choose.  The best we can do is offer our sincerest advice and then let it go.

We can’t possibly know everything about anyone but ourselves and have only an external view of other people’s lives. We can see what they are doing and if they share confidences with us we may have some insight into how they’re feeling.  But we will never know the entire story.  We can’t know their private desires or intentions.  All we can see is what’s on the outside and we can only give advice based on that.  If they want to listen to us they may, but their lives belong to them and every decision they make is their responsibility.  They will make them based on their personal choices and not someone else’s.  Although we may want to help, in the end the choice is theirs.  We are all certainly smart enough to figure out what’s best for us and even if we falter and make a mistake, we can find our way again.

When we put pressure on others to comply with a suggestion we’ve made and it’s something they don’t want to do, they may feel worried and concerned about telling us they don’t want to do what we’re asking.  If we’re very close to them they may be concerned about how a refusal will affect the relationship and how we will respond.  But if they have other ideas about their life and feel confident about them they can clearly decline any suggestion.  We may not appreciate their refusal to go along but we can respect them for standing up for their decisions.  We own our own lives and can manage them and design them any way we want to.  We can do things our way with confidence and grace, and face whatever comes.  If we falter, we will correct our course.  We can give advice and when we get it we may take it or decline it.  The choice is ours.

Today if you feel compelled to tell someone else how they should move forward or how they should do something, you may offer your advice.  You may give sound reasons for why you believe this is the right way for them to go.  Give your suggestions and then let them choose.  They will hear you and appreciate your concern but they must choose for themselves.  Honor that and support them as you move forward.

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Not So Common

6 Jul

We’re all familiar with common sense and generally it’s a good idea to pay attention to it.  When we have a problem, there are things we know will work based on our experiences and the experiences of others.  When we’re confused and trying to find our way, we can use common sense to help figure things out.  But sometimes because we don’t care, or we’re determined to do something a certain way we may ignore the more sensible approach and choose a path that is unproven or unsure.  If we try to outsmart our common sense we might succeed, or we may go down in flames.  We can use our intellect to justify a choice that’s outside the box and risky, or we can just storm ahead for any reason at all.  If we want to we can find lots of reasons for going one way over another.  But common sense is usually sound judgment and oftentimes proven to work.  We can ignore it if we’re determined to go another way, and we can try to outsmart it but that may not take us where we want to go.  We can choose the unknown path over the paved road anytime we want to but the journey will often be more difficult or even treacherous.  If we really want to succeed it’s wise to listen to sound judgment and consider the proven path.

Using our intellect to figure out problems or questions is wise.  We can weigh all the options, consider each solution and determine what works best.  But if our emotions are highly involved in the situation we may not see things clearly.  If we really want something to go a certain way and we aren’t sure it will we may choose answers that are extreme or risky.  We might push the edge of sound reasoning thinking it will help us get what we want.  That might work but if it doesn’t we may find ourselves further from the goal than where we started.  We don’t always have to do things the way they’ve been done before and we can certainly devise any plan we want to.  Sometimes our ideas will work and sometimes they won’t but ignoring answers we know will succeed isn’t generally in our best interest.

Every situation is different and unique and there are always unforeseen complications.  Even if we do everything possible to solve a problem we may still miss the mark.  Thankfully, few decisions we make are etched in stone and unchangeable.  Most often if the first try doesn’t get us where we want to go, we can try again.  We don’t fail unless we quit trying.  We aren’t defeated simply because the first answer didn’t work out.  We can try again.  We can modify our plans, adjust our trajectory, re-direct our course and go forward.  There isn’t anything too complex for us to unravel.  We have everything we need to succeed.

Today if you’re trying to solve a problem and what you’ve done so far isn’t working, think about the issue openly and see if there isn’t an answer you’ve missed.  Think about what’s worked in the past and consider the situation logically.  You’ll find the solution and successfully work the problem.  You are wise enough and smart enough to figure out anything that comes and you will succeed.

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Grape Juice

1 Jul

Grape juice is delicious.  It’s sweet and tasty and very refreshing.  But if we spill it on our white cotton shirt, it’s quickly changes from being a treat to being a curse.  Grape juice is nice to drink but spilled on white cotton can create an indelible stain that is nearly impossible to remove.  It leaves evidence, sometimes forever, that it was there.  We may scrub and try all kinds of applications and still the stain may remain.  In our lives when we make a mistake that hurts us or others deeply we may feel like we’ve created a permanent stain.  There is no way to change what has happened, and we might believe there is no way to recover from the decision.  Thankfully, even if the mistake is damaging and difficult, it’s not like grape juice.  It’s not forever.  There isn’t anything we can’t recover from.  We all make mistakes and if we’ve really blundered and seriously caused pain to ourselves or others it may be difficult to repair the damage.  But we can face difficult challenges and find our way through them.  If we seriously want to make things right again and do what is needed to correct the problem, we can navigate it effectively and move forward.  What we learn from the experience will be valuable, and even if there is some residual stain that stays with us, it will never be so intense that we can’t find a way around it.

We make dozens of decisions every day.  Our lives change continually based on those decisions and the decisions of others.  Sometimes things go well, we can clearly see the path forward, and know what to do.  Other times our vision may be clouded with indecision, confusion or complications out of our control.  Even if we try to make the best decisions possible, sometimes we won’t have all the information, or what we have is incorrect.  As we go forward we may stumble and take a wrong turn and get hurt, and we may fall on others and hurt them as well.  Nobody wants to make bad choices on purpose.  We try to do our best but it’s possible to get lost.  Getting lost doesn’t mean we’re lost forever.  It just means we took a wrong turn.  We are perfectly capable of assessing the situation, looking at our options, and choosing the road that will correct our course and get us back on track to where we want to go.  We can keep moving forward even after a serious detour.  We have everything we need to find our way again, and we can get to the destination successfully.

If we make a bad choice that is so egregious we break a connection to someone else, we may have to go forward without them for a while.  If no matter what we’ve tried to repair the relationship they don’t want any association with us, we may accept that for now and still move forward.  We can’t control decisions made by anyone but ourselves.  We can give them time and distance if they need it and do whatever we can to make things right.  Everyone makes mistakes and although some may take time to recover from, we are capable of correcting our course at any time.

Today if you’re recovering from a mistake in judgment, and you feel like you’re stained forever, remember this is not permanent. You can correct your course and make things right again.  Keep moving forward.  You have everything you need to succeed.

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