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Branded

5 Mar

How we are perceived by others is sometimes the result of what we’ve done in the past.  Our personal behavior as we move through different situations may color what other people think of us and how much influence we carry.  We often hear about personal branding and how important it is to make sure ours represents what we want it to portray.  It’s a complicated issue and people may use all kinds of measuring factors regarding it.  We may have no idea how we’re being judged, and who we really are may have nothing to do with the impressions others may assume.  It’s dangerous to label people, and although we can’t prevent anyone from assuming things about us, we can refuse to judge those around us the same way.  Branding is important in business, and how successful we are managing it will sometimes decide whether we are entitled to some opportunities.  But in our personal lives, branding may be harmful and destructive.  Although we need information to make good decisions, basing any judgement on hearsay, or rumor, or assuming people will do anything before they have the chance to try will never bring us success.  We learn about people as we interact with them.  Every time we meet with them, talk to them, or work with them we learn more about them and as we get to know them can decide how our relationship will be defined.  The world is a big place and there are infinite human expressions and experiences.  Instead of believing what we hear, we can allow others to show us who they are, and trust our personal wisdom moving forward to make the best decisions.

Everyone judges situations and those around them.  It’s a natural reflex and when we see someone who is very much like someone else we’ve known we may make assumptions about who they are.  We may instinctively assign all kinds of traits to them simply because they remind us of a previous situation.  If we don’t have much interaction with them, those reminders may stay in place indefinitely.  But everyone is different.  Even people who look alike or act alike are not the same.  Assumptions are dangerous and are sometimes based on fiction.  We are wise enough to set aside any pre-conceived ideas about anyone and let them show us who they are.  We can be open to building relationships going forward.

There may be times in our lives when we may be judged or excluded from something we desire because of a previous situation.  Perhaps we didn’t manage something the way others felt was best, or we got caught up in some drama where there was no way to win.  Life is complicated and sometimes we end up in places that convolute our path for a time.  We all go through unexpected situations, but nothing is permanent.  Change is constant, and we learn as we go.  No matter what has happened in the past, we can be confident moving forward that we will make excellent decisions and choose the right road.  We can find success ahead and achieve any goal we desire.

Today if you’ve judged someone without knowing them, let them show you who they are.  Be welcoming and keep the doors open.  There is great blessing in sharing our lives with others.  Refuse to brand and label those around you, and learn about them as you go.  Your life will be richer, and your relationships will be stronger.

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Hold Me Up

1 Mar

There are times in everyone’s life when things get complicated and we feel unsure.  The way ahead may be confusing, we may stumble trying to find the right road, and might feel we can’t succeed.  When we feel weak or lost we may be tempted to latch onto someone else and depend on them for strength.  It’s good to rely on others and work together when life is difficult but there are limits to how much that will help.  Our lives belong solely to us and every decision is ours to make.  If we need help we can find it, and if we need support those around us may give it.  But ultimately, we must stand on our own and choose the next steps forward.  If we lean on someone for too long and let go of our ability to decide on our own, we will ultimately fail.  Nobody knows us better than we know ourselves.  Expecting anyone else to know what road we should travel isn’t workable.  Everyone’s experience is different and what seems right to one may be the wrong choice for someone else.  We can’t expect anyone to hold us up indefinitely.  We have all the power and intelligence we need to find our way ahead and we can step forward with confidence making the best choices possible.  Everything we desire is there for us.  We can achieve anything if we’re willing to do what is needed to accomplish it.  The possibilities are endless, and our power is limitless once we decide what we want.  Life is a great blessing.  Standing strong and trusting ourselves will help us move forward and find success.

Everyone has times when they feel uncertain.  We may be in a situation that is so daunting and confusing we wish we could hand it to someone else to manage.  While it’s always possible to push our responsibilities off onto others, if we do, we will never gain the lessons and experiences possible by taking care of them ourselves.  Everything we go through teaches us something of value to carry forward.  Our most difficult trials often bring us the greatest blessings.  We can manage anything that comes and are strong enough and wise enough to find any answers we need.  Every step forward takes us closer to our goals.

When we’re working on something difficult and complicated, if it’s taking longer than we thought it would we may begin to tire.  We can always step back and take a break.  We can move away for a time to refocus and review all the options before us.  Sometimes a short break will help us see something new that will open the way ahead.  There isn’t anything we can’t do and all the answers we need are there for us.  We can be confident in our ability to prevail and conquer any challenge we are facing.  We are strong and capable, and nothing is out of reach.

Today if you’re facing something difficult and feel overwhelmed and unsure, remember how strong and capable you are.  There is no problem you can’t solve.  Get the help you need and look at all the options available.  You will find the answers and succeed.  You are amazing and talented, and nothing is too difficult for you.  Look up and move forward.  Success is just ahead.

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The Whole Story

26 Feb

It’s not difficult to get facts about anything these days.  With the internet and its connections there is a plethora of information available to us all the time.  If we want to know how something works, we can find out.  If we want to know how to do something, the answers can be located.  But there is a big difference between knowing about something and experiencing it.  It’s hard to give credence to someone telling us how to do something they haven’t experienced.  The facts might be right and the directions might be clear, but if it’s never been applied there is no way to know all the complications and unforeseen details that might arise.  It’s impossible to get the whole story from only the facts.  We must experience what may happen and how it feels to fully understand any situation.  Facts are sterile and do not contain emotion.  Experience brings enlightenment and understanding to the whole story.  People are not machines and every moment is colored by interpretation, insight, and expression.  Nobody experiences the same event the same way.  If we want to know how things really work, we must be willing to experience them for ourselves.  Life is filled with endless opportunities to learn and grow.  When we want to do something we can step forward and begin discovering all the parameters of the situation for ourselves.  Our lives will be enriched and our understanding of how things work will increase as we learn new things.  We have limitless possibility, and can do anything we desire.

Some rules and laws in our lives are immutable.  For instance, we can’t eliminate gravity, we can’t stop breathing and continue to live, and everything we do will have some sort of reaction.  There are basic structures that can’t be ignored or changed, but outside of those, anything is possible.  Some may tell us what we want to do can’t be done, simply because nobody has ever done it before.  Or we may be told something is too difficult to change because there are so many parameters involved.  We are unique and capable, and it doesn’t matter what has happened before.  If there is something we want to do, we can do it.  All options are available, and nothing is out of reach.

It takes courage to attempt something new outside our areas of comfort, but there are endless experiences to capture if we are willing to step into the unknown.  We can go anywhere and do anything, and the unknown is only foreign to us until we make it ours.  There is no experience too frightening or intimidating to conquer if we want it in our lives.  We can open doors to new experiences and gain a deeper understanding of who we are, and where we’re headed.  Life is an incredible gift.  Experiencing it to the fullest will bring us amazing blessings and benefits.  There isn’t anything we can’t do, and we can get the whole story for anything we desire.

Today if you’ve been staying close to what you know but want to try something new, step forward and reach further.  There are endless possibilities to experience.  You can do everything you desire.  Be confident.  All your dreams are possible, and you can make them come true.

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Off the Beaten Path

5 Feb

There are many ways to get to any destination, and countless roads we can travel.  It’s easy to follow others along and go with the flow of traffic.  Roads that are constantly traveled are usually easy to navigate.  They tend to be paved and without much obstruction.  It’s easy to move forward and because we’re on a common road we often have company to enjoy along the way.  Traveling a common road that’s easy is always possible, but if we only travel common roads we will only go where others have gone and see what others have seen.  If we step off the beaten path we may find new experiences that heighten our perception of life and as we push through, strengthen us in ways a common road never could.  It may be harder to forge our own road going forward but what we learn about ourselves as we push through difficulties and complications deepens our wisdom and broadens our understanding.  They say the only difference between mediocrity and excellence is effort.  If we want to have the richest most rewarding lives we can, we must step off the beaten path and forge ahead on our own.  We have greatness inside us and allowing that to come forward and bring with it the courage we possess, we will open new horizons before us we may have only imagined.  Every possibility can happen.  Every destination is reachable.  We can move in a new direction and find the success we dream about.

Others may have expectations about our lives and decisions.  Maybe there are long held traditions that are assumed or accepted behaviors that are encouraged.  We can live our lives any way we want to and if the pressures of expectation are great we may follow along with someone else’s ideas and maintain the norm.  But we get only one chance at this and if we waste our time living someone else’s ideas of life we will forfeit the opportunity to live our own.  We are the only ones who can give the gifts we possess.  Everything we do enhances the world around us and our personal expressions are valuable and needed.  We can do things our way, travel any road we desire, and create the lives we want the most.

There is comfort in traveling easy roads.  The way forward is well marked and there are plenty of signs to help us if we get lost.  Stepping off and going our own way through new territory requires courage to face whatever comes.  There is no way to know what lies ahead but the opportunities we find will open new vistas of possibilities before us.  We have everything we need to travel forward and open new experiences we’ve only dreamed of.  Everything is there for us and we can reach any goal we desire.

Today if you’ve been following everyone else and doing things as expected but yearn for more, step away onto a new road and move toward your dreams.  Everything is available and you can reach any destination.  Open your horizons and travel with confidence.  All your dreams are possible.  Move forward your own way and make them come true.

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The Greatest Risk

31 Jan

We can do anything we set our minds to.  We can achieve any goal, go anywhere, and accomplish anything we desire.  The whole world and all its options are always available to us but nothing will come without action.  They say the greatest risk of all is inaction, and that’s true in every arena of our lives.  It’s unlikely that anything we truly desire will come to us without effort.  Our lives are in our control and every choice we make takes us somewhere.  If we choose to sit on the sidelines or ride along with everyone else and put no effort into our direction, our lives will roll out on their own and we may end up somewhere we never wanted to go.  It’s like getting on a bus not knowing the destination and simply arriving wherever it takes us.  Of course, if we haven’t decided where we want to go, one bus is as good as another.  But our lives are the greatest blessing we possess.  Doing nothing to make them the way we truly want them will never bring us happiness.  Although it’s easier to let others make decisions about where we go and what we do, living authentically and in control of our destinations will bring us great satisfaction and joy.  It isn’t always easy to forge ahead our own way, and there may be others who disagree with our choices, but we are in charge of our lives and may live them any way we choose.  Taking control, taking action, and moving forward with purpose will take us where we want to go and help us fulfill all our dreams.

Before we begin any journey we must decide where we want to end up.  It’s pointless to travel around going here and there and having no destination in mind.  Being busy doesn’t always equate to being productive.  If we flit from one idea to the next, and constantly change our focus, chances are we’ll spend our time actively engaged in going nowhere.  It’s easy to get caught up in a world filled with distractions and if we aren’t careful we may find a lot of time has gone by and we’ve accomplished little.  We can decide what we want, where we want to go, and then move forward.  We are in control of our decisions and can accomplish anything we desire.

Change is the only constant in life and sometimes on the road to a destination we may face insurmountable obstacles.  Sometimes even if we know where we want to go the road ahead is blocked and we can’t move forward.  We can decide to stop and wait until things improve and our situation changes.  Deciding to wait is not inaction.  It’s choosing to revise our plan going forward.  But no wait is permanent and when things change if we still want to get to the goal, we must begin again.  We can have any kind of life we want.  We need only choose the road and start walking.

Today if you’ve been thinking about something you want to accomplish but have done nothing to move toward it, make a plan and begin.  You can do anything.  You can go anywhere.  Decide what you want the most, and start forward on the road that will take you there.  There is nothing out of reach and you can make all your dreams come true.  Start walking.  Success is just ahead.

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