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Learning to Surf

15 Aug

It’s great to spend time at the beach and enjoy the waves of the ocean. The rhythmic steadiness of the tide can be very relaxing and we may feel great peace as we walk along the sand. If we go into the water we can surf and ride the waves all the way back to shore but first we have to learn how to get onto the surfboard. It takes practice but if we’re determined we can enjoy the rides and return again and again to improve our skills. Our lives are like the ocean. Nothing can stop the constant waves and nothing will stop the continual changes and challenges we face. Sometimes our lives are calm and placid, and other times the waves crash into the shore and we may be buffeted against the sand. Just like on the water, we can learn to surf through the trials we face and ride them out until we reach the shore again. Facing difficult situations well takes practice. We have to learn how to give and take, and ease ourselves into new ideas and compromises. Learning to surf through our lives will give us the confidence we need when things go wrong and help us find our way back onto our boards even when the waters are threatening. We have everything we need to find success and there isn’t anything we can’t manage. We can take things one step at a time, one wave at a time, and we can learn all we need to continue forward with confidence.

Life never stays the same and all we can count on is that what we’re going through today will change. If we feel more comfortable when things remain the same the continual modifications may be difficult for us. We may try to keep our lives stable and predictable and might succeed for a time but eventually something will come that upsets our plans and we may have to look at things differently. There is no way to stop change from coming into our lives. The best we can do is be willing to bend and adjust to modifications as they present themselves. We can adapt to any new situation and find a way to make it work.

There are endless opportunities for learning and growth as we go through our lives and many of them come when we handle complications and problems. We learn the most about who we are when we face difficult hardships. We are stronger and more capable than we realize and we can figure out even the most complex issues. We can move forward with confidence and strength trusting in our excellent ability to discern what is most important and where we want to go. Success is always available to us and there is nothing strong enough to keep us from it. We can learn to surf even in turbulent, deep waves and we can sail right over them back to shore.

Today if there are problems that seem too intense for you to manage or the water seems too deep and rough, remember you have everything you need to get through. There isn’t anything you can’t figure out and overcome. You are intelligent and wise, and stronger than you realize. Jump up on the board. The waves are ready to carry you forward right back to shore. Success is always there for you and nothing will keep you from it.

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Looking Good

2 Aug

These days there is a lot of focus on our external appearance.  Everywhere we look there are ads for products to make us look younger, thinner, more desirable and more beautiful.  Some of us are short, some tall, some heavy, some thin, some old, and some young.  The scope of appearance among us is very broad and diverse.  We can try to look like all the pictures we see of famous, beautiful people and we may succeed but looking good according to the standards set by others may not bring us happiness.  There is great joy to be found in difference and if we all looked the same the scenery would be quite boring and uninspiring.  It’s important to embrace our own personal style and rejoice in our own special appearance.  We are one of a kind.  There has never been and never will be another person exactly like us.  We can love our own personal beauty even if it differs from what those around us think it should be.  When we are happy and content with who we are, when we are striving to be our very best and doing the things we most want to do our external appearance will reflect joy and peace and there is nothing more beautiful.  Finding beauty by looking good on the outside is only part of the story.  It also includes how we feel about ourselves.  We are all beautiful in different ways.  Living our lives purposefully and directing them toward the destinations we most want to achieve will bring us light and happiness that will be reflected in all we do, and will create more beauty than anything else ever could.

Our outward appearance is always affected by what is going on inside us.  If we are struggling with conflict and stress it will be reflected in our appearance.  It’s impossible to hide everything we’re going through and even if we’re great actors, there will likely be a crack in the armor.  Difficult times come to all of us and as we navigate them we may appear to be tense or even angry to those around us.  We will find comfort and respite from the trial if we remind ourselves we can manage anything that comes and will be successful.  We can overcome every challenge and continue to walk forward with confidence.

If we are living unethically or dishonestly we may try to appear to be doing things differently and we may be able to fool those around us for a time.  We may continue to smile and act as though we’re doing things well and it may work for a while but eventually what we’re doing secretly will rise and become apparent through our behavior.  We can’t look our best if we’re living deceptively.  If we want to be our best we must do our best.  We have everything we need to choose wisely and move forward on roads that will bring us true success.  Living honestly and true to our personal values will bring us joy and that will bring us true beauty.

Today if you want to be truly beautiful, make the best choices you can.  Choose to be honest and travel the roads that will bring you joy.  If there is stress and conflict, remember how powerful and capable you are.  There isn’t anything too difficult for you to manage and you will prevail.  You are a great blessing to us all and your true personal beauty is a gift to the world.

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Achilles

31 Jul

No matter how many gifts and talents we possess, or how confident and strong we become we all have something we carry with us we may deem a weakness or vulnerability.  Perhaps we are afflicted with obsession, fear, anger, an intense flight reflex, compulsion or a thousand other behavior traits that hang us up and sometimes prevent us from moving forward.  We may work on resolving the issue and make progress in overcoming it but often it may remain even if we’ve been able to diminish it.  It’s like our Achilles heel.  The legend of Achilles is his mother dipped him in the waters of the River Styx and he became invincible, except for the part of his heel by which she held him.  In a great battle he was shot in that heel with an arrow, and died.  When we are dealing with something again and again we may think of it as our Achilles heel, the one thing that holds us back and trips us up.  We may certainly take whatever steps we feel will help us change the situation and allow us to more comfortably move forward.  We have a lot of positive attributes and we all do many things well.  As we try to change something in our behavior we may focus on the problem so intently we lose sight of all the positive things we accomplish every day.  It’s good to address the things we feel compromise or inhibit us from becoming our best but we can also remember how great we are in other ways.  One complication doesn’t change all the good we do.  We all have so much to offer.  There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish and nothing too difficult for us to manage.

No two people are the same and we all have things we must deal with from time to time.  What is simple for one is difficult for another.  It’s easy to look at others and think their lives are better than ours, they have more opportunities than we have or they don’t have the problems we must face.  We might be right about some of that but everyone gets their own unique set of challenges and issues to face.  Even if we can’t see them it’s probable everyone around us is solving some problem or facing some complication that is making life difficult for them.

We have all the tools we need to change anything we desire in our lives.  We know ourselves better than anyone else ever could.  Every challenge and test that comes will teach us something new about ourselves and as we solve each problem we’ll gain additional attributes to assist us going forward.  We can address any pattern or behavior that isn’t working for us and we can change our path at any time.  There may be moments of doubt but we can pull our courage forward and become fearless in moving ahead.  The world belongs to those who take it.  We have everything we need to get anywhere we want to go.  Every step we take moves us closer to our goal.

Today if you’ve been struggling with a behavior that has held you back, look at the situation objectively and see how you may modify your course.  You already know where you want to go.  There is nothing strong enough to hold you in place and success is waiting for you.  You have everything you need to achieve it.

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What it Means

19 Jul

There are all kinds of ways to define success in life.  We all have ideas about what success means and how we manifest it in our lives.  Some believe it’s defined by money or position, or by those we know or over whom we have influence.  The outward appearances of success may involve many things but real success has little to do with what others see and more to do with how we feel.  Our personal success is intimately tied to who we really want to be and what we personally want to achieve.  Ultimately it must be defined by us and how we choose to live our lives.  No matter how we define it if we achieve what we determine is best for us we will find happiness.  The world has all kinds of ideas about how we should live and what success looks like but if want to be truly happy we must define it for ourselves.  We are always in control of our personal decisions and we may direct our lives any way we choose.  If we are true to the things we desire most and do what is needed to achieve them we will find great success.  Our personal successes will bring us great confidence and clarity as we move forward and help us define the paths we want to travel.  We know what we want most in our lives and who we want to be.  Every choice we make will either take us closer to those goals or move us in another direction.  As we move forward toward our personal success we will find great satisfaction in our journey and fulfillment going forward.

Outward success is essentially arbitrary and may be expressed in countless ways.  If we are convinced it’s merely a reflection of our monetary worth we may strive to acquire money in order to feel successful.  If we determine it’s how we are ethically and morally we may pattern our lives after the values we hold dear.  What it means is entirely up to us and has little to do with how others define it.  There may be pressure to conform to the definitions of success as determined by our social group, family or others and we may certainly follow any direction we choose.  In the end if we choose what is most important to us, despite the ideas of others, we will find happiness.

We must live with ourselves and our decisions every day.  If we choose to go along with others for the sake of convenience or conformity we may get the goals we want most or we may not.  When others are driving the train and we’re merely passengers we have no control over where we’re headed.  However, if we proactively direct our lives and make choices with our personal goals in mind we will reach the destinations we want most.  We deserve every happiness and reaching for our personal successes will bring it to us.

Today if you’ve been following someone else’s idea of what you need to do to be successful, decide what you want most.  Determine where you want to go and who you want to be.  You will reach every destination you desire and find great personal success.  There isn’t anything you can’t do.  Go forward with confidence.  It’s all there for you.

 

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What We See

13 Jul

“Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw the mud, the other saw stars.” Dale Carnegie

They say perception is reality. We all see things through our own paradigms and they are colored by our perception and how we think. Some people are natural optimists and even in dark times find something that makes them happy. Others see trouble in every aspect of their lives and struggle to feel joy. Two people facing the exact same issue may see it completely differently. We have the power to change our perspective and choose to find joy no matter what we’re facing. There will always be something to be happy about no matter how dire the circumstances. If we determine to find the one good thing while we struggle we will feel calmer and more confident as we go forward. Life is a great blessing. It isn’t always easy, it isn’t always fun and it isn’t always what we want to do. But no matter what it is, we have everything we need to not only survive but thrive as we progress. We can look down and see only mud, or we can turn our eyes upward and see the stars. It’s all there for us. We need only choose how we’ll see it.

We take a lot for granted as we go through our days. We grow accustomed to our comfortable homes, our cars, our clothes, our food, our jobs if we have them, and all the rest. We expect them to be there from day to day and rarely think about losing them. But sometimes life throws a wrench into the works and something fails. We get sick, or our cars die, or our jobs are threatened and suddenly we remember how many blessings we have and how much we want them. It’s easy to become complacent until the bottom falls out and we must face the possibility of losing something we love. We can choose to be thankful for everything we have. When we recognize our personal blessings, and appreciate all the gifts we possess, we’ll find more humility and grace and get closer to the person we most want to be.

Some people are never happy. They may complain because they don’t have a job and then get one and complain because it’s hard to go to work every day. There are lots of reasons why people are unhappy and we can justify every emotion we feel but happiness is a choice we make. It’s something only we can give ourselves. It really doesn’t matter what is going on outside us. If we choose to, we can find happiness in any situation. There will always be something for which to be grateful. If we seek out those precious, sometimes small gifts, our lives will be enhanced and we will feel deeper joy. Life is an incredible gift but how we live it is up to us.

Today if you’ve been feeling bad and find yourself looking down at the mud instead of up at the stars, change your focus. You have so many things to be grateful for. Find joy in the small moments and see every gift you possess. Your life is precious and priceless. Be happy and find joy. It’s right there for you. Reach for it and embrace it.

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