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Thick Skin

12 Sep

We’re all different and everyone experiences the world in different ways.  The things that affect some of us deeply are hardly noticed by others.  We’re all unique in our expressions and interpretations and if we’re highly emotional we may feel developments more acutely than someone who is more pragmatic.  There is no wrong way to see the world but if we don’t feel strong or capable of managing whatever is happening, we may cave in and become overwhelmed.  Everyone has moments when they aren’t sure about what to do or don’t feel strong enough to face a particular issue.  It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at times but we need not let that paralyze us.  Lots of things will happen as we go through our lives and some of them may be quite intense.  If we allow the situation to control us we may fall down and struggle to regain our footing.  There really isn’t anything too powerful for us to manage.  Even if we’re shocked and have the wind knocked out of us for a moment, we have the power to engage our reasoning and stand firm.  Life can be complicated and sometimes things will go wrong – perhaps very wrong.  We can face whatever comes and hold fast knowing we will overcome.  We are stronger and more resilient than we realize and nothing is strong enough to hold us down.  Every answer we need is there for us and we can trust in our ability to do whatever we must to move forward.  We can be confident and courageous when trials come and trust we will prevail.  Nothing can keep us from success.  We can always win.

Sometimes the very thing we think we could never endure actually happens to us.  We may have imagined we aren’t strong enough to survive a serious setback.  We may do everything in our power to prevent things from going wrong, but we only have control over ourselves and there are lots of decisions being made we know nothing about.  If the bottom falls out of our plans and everything falls apart we don’t need to fall apart with it.  We can face any storm and push through.  Disappointments will come but no matter what goes wrong we have everything we need to get through.  We are powerful and strong, and nothing can stop us.

We can do everything in our power to avoid conflict, stay out of trouble, and keep the peace, and still problems will arise.  It’s the nature of life.  There will always be differences and opposition no matter what we’re doing.  Trying to stay away from it might work for a time but eventually we’ll go through trying times that are difficult to navigate.  We may get confused, feel unsure, and struggle to figure out what to do next but if we keep pushing forward we will prevail.  Everything we need to succeed is there for us.  We need only trust ourselves to find it and continue forward.

Today if you’re overwhelmed with an issue you don’t think you can manage, stand strong.  You are wiser and more capable than you realize and nothing is too difficult for you to understand and manage.  Every answer you need is already there for you.  Be confident and trust yourself.  Nothing can keep you from success.

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Something Different

6 Sep

We make all kinds of personal connections as we go through our lives. Some of them are strong and we hold onto them for many years. We may become attached to someone we feel is very much like us who does things that make us happy and enhance our lives. As the connection grows, we believe in them and trust they are who they appear to be. Often that’s the case and we move forward knowing we can count on them and find comfort having them in our lives. But some people are dishonest and do things that make others believe they are someone they aren’t in order to create a close connection that gives them something they desire. When someone says all the right things that push all our happy buttons, it can be hard to imagine they are lying. If we trust them and give our hearts to them and then find out they aren’t who we thought they were but someone completely different, we may feel devastated. It’s hard to understand such manipulation and if it happens to us we may be crushed and lose confidence in ourselves. We can’t control the decisions of others and it’s good to trust and believe in them. If that turns against us, the one who deceived is responsible. Life can be complicated and we never know what will come next. No matter where we’ve been or what’s already happened, we can trust ourselves to make excellent decisions going forward. If we fell, we can get back up. We are strong and powerful and nothing can hold us down.

Strong, long lasting relationships take continual work and compromise. If both involved are willing to do what is needed to find resolution as problems arise, there’s a good chance for a positive outcome. But if we’re in a relationship where we’re doing all the work and the other person is ignoring their part while pretending to care, we may give too much of ourselves away and end up feeling empty and alone. We deserve the very best of every situation and never need to take on someone else’s responsibility. We can decide what’s best for us at every turn. We know what we want and with wisdom and courage we can do what we must to achieve it.

If we’ve been fooled by someone pretending to love us who isn’t the person they professed to be, we may struggle to forgive ourselves for falling for them. We may feel we should have known better but we can’t see things that are hidden. If we’d had all the facts from the beginning we would never have believed the lie. We are smart and intelligent and if someone fools us, we can take what we’ve learned forward and be confident in our ability to make the best decisions.

Today if you’ve fallen for a lie or are in a relationship that isn’t working, remember you are wise and valuable, and deserve every happiness. Let go of any guilt for mistakes in judgment and move forward with confidence. You are certainly capable of making excellent choices. Leave the past behind and step toward the future. There is great success and happiness ahead for you. Keep moving forward and you’ll reach it.

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I Can’t

4 Sep

Life is sometimes easy and everything moves along without much trouble. We sail through our days without much travail or stress, and feel confident about the future. It’s great when things come together easily and we don’t worry about what’s next. But those moments will never be permanent and in time, however much time that takes, things will change and trouble will come. We can’t control the decisions of others or much of what goes on around us and eventually there will be complications and trials. If the situation is intense and we don’t feel confident we may believe we can’t get through. It may feel too hard, too painful, too serious or just too much for us to deal with. The urge to run and hide or simply ignore the entire predicament may be great. We might look the other way and refuse to talk about it, but one thing is certain, ignoring a problem or pretending it doesn’t exist will never solve it. We all have limits to what we feel we can do but those limits are not set in stone and each trial teaches us something new that stretches what we can tolerate and understand. It isn’t fun to suffer or feel the pressure of trouble in our lives but we always have what we need to not only endure but to overcome. When we think we can’t do it, we can stop and think again. There is nothing we can’t manage and no problem is too complex for us to solve. We can dig deep and the resources we need will be there. All things are possible and we are strong enough and wise enough to continue forward and do anything we must to find success.

There are limitless ideas and experiences in the world. We’ll go through things we don’t imagine will happen and face complicated and confusing situations that may confound us and make us wonder how we will ever get through. But with each step we take, more information is revealed and as we move forward we’ll find all the answers we need. We’ve learned many things already and can trust in our ability to understand what is happening and believe we will prevail.

Some problems are very complicated and take considerable time to unravel and resolve. If we’re tired and weary of the struggle, we can stop and take a break. Fatigue will only make the situation more difficult and taking time away will often open up new ideas for moving forward and help us uncover the answers we’ve been seeking. We can do things our own way and in our own time and find success. There isn’t anything we can’t handle and we’ll find our way through no matter what we’re facing.

Today if you have a serious situation to navigate and feel it’s too much for you to handle, remember how strong and capable you are. It doesn’t matter how hard the problem is, you will solve it. It doesn’t matter how difficult the road ahead, you will find the way. You are amazing and strong, and nothing is too hard for you to manage. Be confident. Push ahead and trust yourself. All the answers are there and you will find them. Keep moving forward. Success is only one step away.

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Passing

27 Aug

There are unlimited opportunities to try, new things to experience and different activities to participate in throughout our lives.  We may be eager to take on some of them and others we may do simply because of where we are and what’s going on.  Our choices are ours to make but sometimes because of the situation we’re in we may feel pressured to do something we don’t want or go somewhere we’d rather avoid.  Those around us may suggest something because they think it’ll be good for us or will move us forward toward a goal we’ve been seeking.  They may be right but ultimately we know ourselves better than anyone else and if we don’t want to participate, we can pass.  There are all kinds of opinions out there and we can listen to them and take whatever we feel is helpful, letting the others go.  We are always in control of our lives and can go along and take all the suggestions offered, or stay where we are and determine our own road forward.  It’s good to participate with others when that participation gives us something we desire or need.  But if we want to go a different way, we can step back and choose our own path.  We don’t always have to swim upstream but sometimes going in a different direction than everyone else is the only way to our goals.  Our lives are ours to design and we are responsible for every decision we make.  If we go along when we don’t want to and end up somewhere we didn’t want to go, we own it.  We’re wise enough to know how we want to proceed.  Every choice we make will take us somewhere.  Making the choices that take us where we most want to go will bring us satisfaction and happiness.

There can be a lot of pressure to go along when we’re in a group.  Sometimes if we’re in a situation where they have authority over us we may need to comply.  But most of the time we can choose our own path.  Even if everyone else wants us to go along, if it’s not something we desire, we can go another way.  We can let others make their own choices and move forward without us.  Our experiences are unique to our personal lives and we determine our personal destinations.  We can be in control and make the decisions that take us where we want to go the most.

It’s nice to have others around us as we navigate through our days but there may be times when our desires require us to move forward alone.  We all chart our own courses and have all the courage and determination we need to succeed at anything we choose.  We can find the way forward by ourselves and reach any goal we desire.  We determine what our lives will be even if it’s different than what others want for us.  The roads we take are ours to choose and every destination is possible.  We can make all our dreams come true by focusing on what’s most important and then doing what it takes to get there.

Today if you’re being pressured to do something you really don’t want to do, remember you know yourself better than anyone else.  You know what you want and what you need.  Be confident and choose the paths that will open the doors to your goals.  You can do anything.  The whole world is there for you and every dream can come true.

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Choosing the Ending

17 Aug

There is a popular children’s book series where there are several different endings to the stories.  After reading the basic story in the book, the reader can choose the ending they want from a few at the end.  It’s a great and creative idea that allows us to imagine how it would be if we could decide how things end up.  In our lives it would be wonderful – amazing even – if we could decide where our decisions would take us and design how everything would come together.  We could do the things we wanted without concern for the result because we could always change the ending if we didn’t like where we landed.  But life is reality, and we have all the freedom and power to make any decisions we like but no control over where those decisions take us.  Sometimes everything works out exactly as we hope and other times we may end up in a place that is nowhere we want to be.  There is no way to predict the future and all we can do is look at the options available and make the best choices possible.  Life will take us places we never dream we will go and sometimes we may end up somewhere that isn’t comfortable or easy.  We don’t have to stay anywhere forever and always have the power to change our situations, whatever they may be.  If we land in foreign territory and don’t like the scenery or the players involved, we can move.  Although we can’t control everything, we can always control our own lives.  We can change our location, our relationships, our job, or anything else that isn’t working.  We deserve complete happiness and can do whatever we need to achieve it.

There are all kinds of opinions about life and how we should be living.  We can listen to all the advice we’re given and decide how much of it we want to take, if any.  Some people have very strong ideas about how things should go and if we’re different from them they may try to persuade us to change our ways.  We are responsible for our own lives and can follow their example if we like, or continue to do things our own way.  We know what we want and who we want to be.  Our expressions are ours alone and never have to mimic anyone else.  The unique gifts we bring are ours to offer and enhance the world in ways nobody else could.

When we make decisions that take us far from where we thought we were headed we can choose to go back and start again, or investigate our new situation and see what it brings.  Change offers us new insights and a wider vision of our world.  Foreign territory may be intimidating at first but we can learn about it and make it ours.  There are countless roads to explore and endless locations to find.  If we end up someplace new, instead of running back to home plate, we can see what the new landscape offers us.  There are great blessings just waiting to be discovered and we can be confident and sure we will find them.

Today if a choice you made took you somewhere you had no intention of going, before you retreat, take a look around.  You may find great pleasure and unexpected benefits as you get to know something new.  The world is filled with possibilities and they are all open to you.  Be confident and open all the doors.  There are blessings waiting for you.

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