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Disappointment and Perseverance

2 Jan

“I long so much to make beautiful things. But beautiful things require effort—and disappointment and perseverance.” Vincent van Gogh

We have a lot of challenges in our lives and many things we want to accomplish. We can strive for any goal we want to attain but often the road to success isn’t smooth. There may be points where we stumble or get lost, there may be obstacles in our path, and it can be disappointing when we feel like we’re working hard but not getting any closer. Sometimes it may seem that no matter how much we plan or how carefully we proceed we run into something that blocks our way forward. As time passes we may get frustrated feeling we should have conquered the challenge by now and yet we are still trying. It takes continual effort to reach any destination and if we want to succeed we must persevere when things go wrong. We have to figure out the problems that block our path, and find a way to navigate around the obstacles in our way. We may get tired and even think of letting go of the goal but if we want to achieve anything we must be willing to do what it takes to get there. Everything we desire requires effort and often things don’t go as easily as we hope they will. But there isn’t anything we can’t overcome and we are capable of finding success. There may be disappointment but we can manage that and persevere through it to the other side. We can decide to continue forward even when the road gets rough.

We are complex and capable of accomplishing many difficult things in our lives if we determine to stay the course until we complete the journey. If we are overcome with disappointment, we may feel overwhelmed and unsure we can go on. At times like those, we may set the goal aside for a while and return to it later when our lives are in a different place. There isn’t any goal we can’t achieve but sometimes timing is everything. If something isn’t working now, we can proceed with other things for a while and try again later. As our lives change and our situations adjust we may be in a better position to begin again.

When we’ve been working toward a goal for a long time and are struggling, we may believe we will never win. We may think it’s just not in the cards for us and let it go. We can always re-direct our course but instead of giving up sometimes all we need to do is change direction. We may only need to adjust our path a little to find success. Life is rarely an “all or nothing” situation. Generally, there are lots of variations and if what we’ve been doing isn’t working, we can modify and change our focus a little to find success. There really isn’t anything we can’t do.

Today if you’ve been working hard toward a goal you want to achieve and still haven’t moved forward, step back and rethink the situation. Think about how you might adjust your path forward to find success. You will reach your goal and find your way. You have everything you need to be successful and there is no disappointment you can’t overcome.

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Miracles

30 Dec

A lot of things happen in our lives every day. Many of them are expected and explained and we often feel confident in anticipating much of what comes. But sometimes something unusual happens. Sometimes something unexpected and amazing occurs we can’t explain. Perhaps someone suddenly shows up we haven’t spoken to in a long time, and they bring the perfect answer to a problem we’ve been trying to solve. Or driving home we somehow escape a very dangerous situation we couldn’t avoid. Maybe out of the blue the extra money we desperately need is suddenly provided. We’ve all experienced extraordinary events like these at one time or another in our lives. Miracles happen every day and they are not just for parting big seas or creating a new star in the heavens. They are available to all of us. Sometimes when we get a miracle we try to explain it away or find rational explanations for what happened. But miracles are gifts to us. We don’t have to explain them, and we don’t have to know why they came. It’s enough to receive them, and allow them to bless us.

We all dream about all kinds of wonderful things we think we want. We want to meet Mr. or Miss Right – finally. We want to come into a lot of money. We want to land our dream job or travel somewhere we’ve always wanted to go. Some of these dreams are within our reach and with enough planning and work we can make them come true. Others are more elusive and the only way we can imagine getting them is if we get a miracle. However, most of our personal miracles are just that – personal. They reach something inside us we’ve been trying to understand or fulfill a need we are frantic to obtain. When the unexpected breakthrough comes it’s a wonderful feeling. We can’t control much in life but sometimes the things out of our control are exactly what we need. And when they happen we may be in the presence of our own personal miracle.

Many of us are great planners. We plan what we want to get done each day, where we want to go, and what we need to do. When everything goes according to our plans we feel like we’re accomplishing things and moving forward. But sometimes something gets in the way and blocks our path. We have to stop and rethink the way forward. During those moments, we may get inspiration to turn in a new direction. We may completely revise what we thought we wanted to do because we had to stop and think again and were inspired to go another way. Inspiration is a magical thing. It may come to us at any time and when it does if we listen to it our direction often becomes clearer and we achieve more than we thought we could. Personal inspiration brings the miracle of understanding we need. Miracles come in different ways to all of us. If we pay attention, we’ll see them everywhere.

Today if something special has happened, something you can’t explain that has helped you move forward, be grateful. You deserve every happiness and there are miracles available to you all the time. Look for them, listen to them and be thankful for them. Your life is a blessing to share with others. Embrace the miracles that come to you and extend them to those around you.

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Under Cover

20 Dec

People are complicated. They don’t always show us everything they are or what they can do. We all have things we keep to ourselves and some of us hold our cards closer to our chests than others. Sometimes we’re shy, sometimes we don’t have enough confidence to open all our doors, and sometimes we prefer to keep things private. Because we can’t know everything behind the scenes we often make judgments based on what we can see. We don’t know that man at work who dresses funny is an excellent painter who does stunning abstracts. Or that woman at church who is always so aloof spends two days a week teaching reading to underprivileged children. Or our grouchy old neighbor is an accomplished musician who traveled the world performing. If we don’t take any time to know others, all we see is what’s on the surface of those around us. We can’t know what’s beneath the obvious unless we take the time to find out. Saying hello in passing and making judgments based on what’s obvious will only give us part of the story. This world can be a lonely place and it’s hard to feel connected when nobody really knows who we are. We can bring happiness and comfort by asking and letting others share themselves with us. As we get to know each other better we can build understanding and bring unity to our world.

If you’ve ever gone snorkeling in the ocean, you’ve seen some of the different and wonderful things that exist below the surface. It’s a far different world below than it seems when we look out onto the water. The surface may be beautiful but all we can see is the very top of what’s there. Under the water there are countless types of fish, plants, corals and other things that are amazing in their diversity and scope. One could never imagine what is beneath the water by looking only at the surface. It’s the same with us. We can only see what’s on the outside of those around us. We know what they look like and how they react in a limited environment. If we really want to know who they are, we have to dive deeper and spend some time getting to know what’s below the surface.

Some people are very private and it takes a while to get to know them. They have their own reasons for why they keep to themselves, but if we engage them and show we are their friends and can be trusted, they will open up to us and reveal more of who they are. And when they do we’ll be embellished by learning more about them and the connections between us will strengthen. We may forge a bond of trust and respect that wasn’t there before. The whole human race is our family. We belong to it and it belongs to us. Learning about each other helps us understand more and feel closer as we move forward.

Today if you’ve been keeping to yourself and not showing the world who you really are, take a chance and open up. If there is someone you would like to know better, engage them and let them show you who they are. We all have so much to offer. Today share yourself and let others tell you about their lives as well. You’ll feel closer and more connected and your world will expand.

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Super Moon

15 Dec

As we go through our lives and attend to all our responsibilities we are focused on the things that need to get done and where we want to be. Life can be busy and complicated, it can get messy and troublesome, and we may get lost seeing only what’s just ahead and miss other things going by. There are moments for all of us that are so captivating we are entirely consumed by them – our baby’s first step, the first kiss with a new love, a beautiful snowflake, a rainbow after a big storm, a reunion with a long, lost relative, and other poignant and captivating experiences. But many times, as we’re accomplishing our tasks we don’t notice some of the beautiful, enchanting or rewarding things passing us by. We keep our heads down and our eyes focused on the goal ahead and never hear the ice cream truck or see the red balloon floating up in the sky. It’s good to be focused and moving forward but there are many blessings all around us. If we look up, and see what else is going on our lives will be enriched and blessed. We only get one chance to live each day. Seeing everything we can, and noticing every nuance possible will bring us great joy and fulfillment.

Sometimes we have good intentions to do something, see something, or go somewhere but our schedules get in the way and we don’t make it. Super moons don’t happen all the time. They only occur when a full moon makes its closest approach to the earth. When that happens, the moon appears larger and brighter than normal and it’s amazing to behold. When one is predicted, we may read or hear about it and decide we want to see it, but then miss it because we were busy and forgot. We got carried away with all the things we were doing and didn’t take time to see it. Our chance to experience it has passed. Of course, it’ll come around again but if we continue doing things as we’ve been doing them, chances are we may miss it again.

It’s important to do all the many tasks we need to accomplish. Others rely on us and we must take care of ourselves. But as we’re storming through our days and checking off our lists, there are magical things all around us just waiting to be noticed. If we can slow down just a little and look up, be in the moment and cherish each breath, and pay more attention to the world around us we will be happier and our lives will be richer. We can stop and remember the very first time we tasted chocolate, or see how it feels to swing as high as possible, or how much fun it is to run into the ocean. If we do, our daily experiences will be enhanced. There are limitless things to do and see in life. We can reach out to them and broaden our horizons and our capacity for happiness will increase. We can get the most out of each day. We can see more, notice more, and remember how wonderful it is to be alive.

Today if you’ve been focused on your tasks and what needs to be done, look up and see what’s going on around you. Notice everything and broaden your scope. There’s something that will make you smile and bring you joy. Pay attention and let it fill your heart going forward. Your life is precious and wonderful. See everything and live it as fully as possible.

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Which Way is Up

7 Dec

For student pilots who haven’t yet learned to use the instruments on a plane, vertigo can be a serious issue. When flying through clouds, rain, or fog without instruments it can be hard to figure out which way is up. Disorientation may occur because it’s impossible to see the land below and everything looks the same. It can be difficult to discern if the plane is ascending or descending. Learning to understand and rely on the instrument panel to show what’s happening, despite the visual clues, will enable a pilot to safely navigate through hazardous situations. Without them, disaster may result. In our personal lives, we rely on a lot of physical clues to tell us what is going on and what we should do. We see and hear things and then proceed accordingly. But sometimes we can’t see the whole story and may become confused and disoriented. If we aren’t sure how to proceed, we can rely on our internal instrument panel to guide us. We can think about the issue, discern what is real, decide which way is up, and chart our course forward. Our previous experiences give us information to guide us. We can clarify our direction by evaluating the situation carefully and taking the time to determine which way we need to go.

It can be easy to get confused when there is a lot going on or we’re receiving mixed messages about something. When we have a decision to make and lots of people are weighing in and giving us advice it may be confounding trying to figure out what to do. Everyone has a different opinion and although there may be many good suggestions, if they all come at us at the same time we may get lost in the commotion. It’s like being in a dense fog or trying to navigate through the clouds to find the answers. If we step away from all the confusion and take time to think and clear our thoughts, we’ll figure out the answers we need. By consulting our internal navigation system, we can find our way. We have great intuition and inspiration available to us and we can access it and use it to direct our course forward.

There are no decisions that are beyond our capability to understand. We can think about even complex situations and comprehend what we need to do to address them and solve any problem that comes up. We can draw on our past experiences and all the things we’ve learned as we’ve lived through each day and we can discern truth. If we take the time to look at each variable and plan our way forward step by step, we will succeed. It doesn’t matter how foggy it gets, how hard it rains, or how many clouds are gathering above, we have everything we need to clear the confusion and go forward with confidence. We are wiser and braver than we think we are and there is nothing too difficult for us to navigate.

Today if you’re in a complicated situation and there is a lot of confusion and interference, step away and clear your head. You have all the answers already. Identify them and plan your way forward. You can do anything and solve any problem. You will find your way through with confidence and clarity. You have everything you need.

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