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Going Forward

6 Dec

The road we travel as we live our lives is long and has many turns and twists as we navigate through the years. Sometimes things go well and other times we struggle to get through. It’s not always easy to push forward when there is wind blowing in our face, blinding us and making it hard to keep going, or rain muddying the way forward. If we’re sure we’re headed in the right direction we may stay the course and keep moving ahead with confidence. However, if the road is very hard and there are obstacles in front of us we may doubt our ability to press on. We might wonder if we’ve lost our way, if we need a better map or someone to help us, or if we’ll ever get to the destination. There are so many things that can happen to cloud our view forward and it takes determination to keep walking. We have everything we need to be successful and we know where we want to go. If we persevere, no matter what we face, we can continue. Confusion may come but we can find the answers we need. We can confidently take one step after another, even when it’s hard to see, and reach any destination we choose.

Our journey through life is long, and we will pass many stops along the way before we reach the end. Some are unexpected but each place offers us something to carry with us going forward. We may go somewhere foreign and feel uncomfortable and eager to leave but as we navigate the path we learn different ideas that will enrich us. Sometimes we reach a place that feels like home where we are happy and feel accepted, and as we move forward they buoy us up and give us confidence. We learn something new with everything we experience, and as we travel forward we change and develop a new and richer understanding of our lives and who we are. Each experience changes us in some way and we learn more about ourselves and who we really want to be.

Sometimes the way forward is easy and we move ahead with little resistance. Things go well and all the doors seem to open for us. But life is unpredictable and can be perilous. Everything changes continually and no matter where we are now, our circumstances will change. We will meet different people, experience new challenges, and learn to cope with everything we face. We’ll learn to manage all the bumps, complications, and disappointments as we travel and we’ll become stronger and truer to ourselves. Each day teaches us something we need to be successful. Learning every lesson well helps us find our way.

Today if your journey is thwarted with complication and problems, if you feel tired having to face yet another challenge, keep moving forward. There are rewards and blessings waiting for you. Each trial gives you a gift and each challenge teaches you something you need. You know where you want to go and you can persevere and find success. You are strong and capable of managing anything. Keep going forward. You have everything you need to succeed.

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Solo Journey

29 Nov

When we want to accomplish something specific we may have a driving need to move forward that consumes us. We become determined and our focus is laser sharp. If others try to help or join in we may tell them we want to go it alone, preferring to manage all the decisions ourselves and control our progress. But climbing alone will lead us to the summit by ourselves. And when we get to the top there will be no one there to share the victory. It’s great to win but it can feel hallow if there is nobody to celebrate with us. Including others as we move forward heightens our experience and enhances our feelings of accomplishment. When there are others with us to celebrate the victory, it feels more intense and the shared happiness is profound. We can do anything we want to all by ourselves, but if we let others share the journey the reward will be sweeter.

When we’re pushing forward toward a goal we know what we want to do. We make decisions that move us closer to the destination and keep our eyes looking forward. But when we do it all by ourselves we have only the wisdom and insight of one. Everybody has a different perspective and we all have gifts to offer. How we see a situation may be entirely different from the way someone else sees it. If we seek the advice and counsel of others as we press forward we have the benefit of seeing things through other eyes. Being able to understand a situation from someone else’s perspective may open up new avenues for us to follow and new ideas for success. We may see things we couldn’t see before. Letting others in as we move forward will broaden our horizons and may open up completely new roads to the goal.

When we want to get to a destination before anyone else it may be hard to share. We want to be the winner and prove ourselves, by ourselves. We can do anything alone and hope we’ll see every road possible to get there first. We might succeed but if we let others share their impressions and suggestions we have the benefit of many ideas which may get us there faster. We can always fly solo if we want to. We can always do things all by ourselves and show the world how competent and capable we are. But if we open up and let others share the journey we may get to the goal faster and more expertly. Two heads are better than one and two ideas offer more options than one. We can let others in and find glory together. And then at the top when victory is ours the celebration will be richer and more meaningful.

Today if you’ve been working alone and forging ahead by yourself remember those around you. There are many ideas and interpretations to every situation and you can’t see them all. Let others share the journey and enhance the experience by broadening your scope. You’ll get to the destination faster and more successfully. You can’t see every perspective by yourself. Enhance your experience by letting other join the journey. When you get to the end you’ll be happier as you share the victory.

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Helping Out

15 Nov

Sometimes those near us, those we care about or love, or friends in our circle ask for our help. Most of us want to be helpful and do what we can when asked. If we consistently offer our help we can learn a lot and build our relationships. But sometimes our helpful nature can backfire when someone abuses our kindness. If someone we know makes a habit of asking for our assistance, not only in areas where real help is needed, but when they want us to cover their personal responsibilities, it can become difficult. We may find ourselves in a situation where instead of helping them we end up enabling them to sidestep their responsibilities and push them off on us. When that happens, we may be helping now but in the end if we do things they need to do for themselves, they lose the opportunity to grow and may become dependent on us. If we let others do our work for us, even when we’re capable of doing it ourselves, we miss out on the chance to grow and learn.

Habits are funny things. They form sometimes without us being aware. We do something once, then we do it again, and again, and before we realize it we may do it on a regular basis without noticing. For instance, if we have a neighbor close by and we stop to chat, we may offer to help with a project they are working on. Another day if we see them we may offer to help again. Soon every time we talk to them they may have tasks prepared for us ready to hand off. And if that continues, our helpful nature may become a burden for us and a crutch for them. It’s good to help others but when our help turns into expectation we may feel encumbered and obligated to do more than we should. We can recognize when our offer to help becomes a hindrance and we can change things so we aren’t just doing tasks but instead helping others figure out what they can do themselves. We can politely offer to help them accomplish any task they want to assign to us. We can do it together and enable them to be confident enough to accomplish it.

There is an old saying that many hands make light work. If we all work together whatever we are trying to accomplish generally goes more easily. It’s easier to lift something heavy as a group than it is alone. Helping one another allows us to serve and learn how to give. It’s noble to offer our assistance and we gain as much in the process as those we’re aiding. We can help in ways that allow everyone to learn and don’t undermine personal growth. We can find the limits between truly helping and enabling. The world needs those willing to serve and serve well. We have so much to give and with careful consideration can make sure out gift of service does as much good as possible.

Today if you’ve been helping someone and see that things have changed and you are doing too much, take a step back. Continue to offer your assistance but allow them to work alongside you and support them as they find their confidence. Show the way to success and let them take the lead. Help them find the road on their own. You are noble and kind to help and others will learn so much from your guidance.

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Redefining

6 Oct

We all have ideas about what success looks like. For some it’s how much we earn, what we look like, or what goals we accomplish. Everyone has a different idea and how we see our personal success often defines how we see ourselves. If we haven’t reached a level we want to achieve we may be discouraged. If we haven’t moved our careers forward like we thought we would or haven’t gotten the praise we think we deserve we can feel like we’re failing. Although success is a personal description of what we want and where we want to go it is often influenced by the ideas held by others. If those around us see it only one way and we haven’t reached that level, we may be discouraged. If we don’t meet their standards and they are important to us, we may feel like failures. It really doesn’t matter how anyone determines what success is but us. If our idea of success if that we manage to get our tasks done every day and don’t lose our temper and we accomplish that, we are successful. We decide what our personal success looks like and we determine how we’ll achieve it. We can redefine what others call it and make it unique to ourselves.

We all have different experiences in life and as a result have unique perspectives about things. What one sees as moving forward, another may see as taking a step back. If we’re focused on non-profit work our motivation may not be to make more money. On the other hand, if we’re driven to be financially independent our income level will mean a lot. The interpretations of how to live our lives depend on who we are and what we want. Our personal choices determine what’s best for us and our personal ideas of success may be very different from the ideas of those around us. We are entitled to define our lives any way we choose and will find happiness from making our personal dreams come true.

The pressures of the world may make us believe our choices aren’t good enough or valiant enough and any number of other ideas. But that doesn’t matter. We have a gift to offer that nobody else can offer. What we do is up to us and we can define success our own way. Maybe we define it by being very patient, or by serving our community, or by practicing the piano every day, or by helping a student with homework. Or maybe we define it by how much money we make or how many people we help. However, we define it we can achieve it. The world has all kinds of ideas about success but we don’t have to adopt them. We can redefine it specifically for us and find great joy in being exactly who we are and achieving what is most important to us. Our lives belong to us and what we do with them is our choice.

Today if you feel pressure to succeed based on someone else’s idea of what that is you can choose your own path. You know what you want and you know how to get it. Be exactly who you are and define success your way. You are a gift to the world and we’re all blessed because you’re here. Your success is defined by you and you will achieve it.

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Really?

5 Oct

When we’re enchanted by someone or a situation, we don’t always see things exactly as they are.  We may be entranced by appearances and mesmerized by beautiful words.  If we really want it to be real we may be convinced despite all indications to the contrary.  We may get caught up in fiction and fail to see truth.  As time passes there may be cracks in the armor but if we’re convinced that what we believe is real we may simply ignore them.  Living in the land of fiction rarely brings happiness and often results in pain.  Truth is invincible and will rise and no matter where we are we will eventually face it.  If we’ve been truly duped we may be seriously hurt.  It’s hard to accept that anyone would purposely deceive us and if we care about them, we may feel devastated.  There isn’t anything we can’t face when we’re ready.  The trick is to live so we’re always willing to see things as they really are and live our lives truthfully.  When we really want something we may buy into a situation that is false but being courageous enough to evaluate it and move forward honestly is the only way to real happiness.

Successful relationships require honesty.  We must be honest about who we are and what we’re doing.  Lying, deceiving, pretending or in any way being untruthful can destroy even the strongest relationship.  If the other party likes certain things we don’t enjoy we can pretend we enjoy them too.  We can pretend to have personality traits we know will be attractive to someone else, or say things we don’t really mean but which we know will bring someone closer to us.  We can do anything we want to convince others to be a part of our lives.  But every deception will be uncovered in time.  It may come to light immediately, or it may take time but it will be revealed.  Once dishonesty has been uncovered, trust is damaged and the relationship will be hurt.  It may take serious time to restore trust and in some cases the relationship may be broken.

Everyone is different and we each have special gifts to offer.  We are valuable and precious in our own way.  We can be confident in honoring that value and understanding we are a gift to the world.  We don’t have to fit anyone else’s model to be loved.  We don’t have to pretend to be something we aren’t.  We are perfect just as we are.  Understanding that and accepting ourselves as we are will help us live more genuinely.  We can be perfectly honest about what we like and what we don’t, our personalities, our unique traits and what we have to offer.  We don’t have blend to fit in and we don’t have to change to be loved.  We are who we are and that’s enough.  We can live our lives honestly and openly and be the best we can be.

Today if you find you’ve been deceived and are hurt, learn as much as you can from the experience.  You are capable of finding truth and accepting it.  If you’ve been pretending to be something you aren’t remember how precious you are just being yourself. You have so much to offer.  Be the best you can be today.  Be brave.  You are lovable just as you are.

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