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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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Getting the Hammer

5 Dec

There are times in our lives when we have almost everything we need to get something done. We may have most of what’s required for success but not everything. Despite the missing pieces, we may try to force things to work anyway but without all the tools needed we may get stuck. It’s like being given some boards and nails and told to go construct something without a hammer. There is no way to nail the boards together without a hammer so even though we have most of what we need, we don’t have everything. We must get the hammer before we can complete the project. When we’re trying to accomplish something it’s important to understand what we’ll need to get it done. Then we can plan to acquire the necessary tools to move forward and be successful. If we don’t have all the required tools, whatever they are, we may spend a lot of time spinning our wheels trying to patch things through. That may work for a time but in the end without everything needed we won’t prevail. We need the boards, the nails, and the hammer. Taking the time to get everything together and understand the requirements before we begin will help us get to the goal.

Learning to prepare before we begin may prevent complications. If we decide we want to do something and jump in before understanding all that will be required, we may get lost before we get to the goal. There may be details we didn’t consider, requirements of which we were unaware, and a thousand developments we couldn’t anticipate. Learning all we can about the process we want to undertake and understanding what will be needed to accomplish it before we start will help us get to the goal more effectively and easily. The old saying of “look before you leap” is wise advice. If we don’t know where the road is leading, we won’t get to our destination. We can prepare carefully by learning all we can about what we want to do before we begin and ensure we have all the tools we’ll need to accomplish the goal.

Sometimes we have to grow before we can get to a desired destination. Maybe we need to get more education to get there, or we need professional help to assist us in the journey. Sometimes we must rely on others to complete their roles in the process before we can proceed. If we are prepared and understand what must be done, and we have gathered all the tools we need, we will move forward with confidence and clarity. We will understand the process as we progress and have everything we need to address whatever complications arise. If we take the time to be sure we have the hammer, we will be ready. There isn’t anything we can’t do if we prepare well. We can be confident in moving forward, sure of success.

Today if you’re trying to accomplish something but don’t have all the tools needed, go back and get them. Get everything you need to move forward and prepare your way to success. You can go anywhere and do anything if you prepare well. Do what is needed to ensure the road ahead and you’ll get to your goal. There isn’t anything you can’t do. Get the hammer and everything else you need. You will succeed and achieve greatness.

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Batter’s Box

2 Dec

There are a lot of things we all want to do as our lives progress. We can’t possibly do them all at once but while we’re involved with other things we can prepare for what we want to do next. Getting ready to move forward will enable us to begin as soon as possible. Simply waiting for things to change will not bring success. If we don’t prepare for what’s coming, we may miss our opportunities when they appear. It’s like being in our own personal batter’s box ready to start when our time comes. In baseball, the batters warm up before the game and then sit waiting in the box to be called. When it’s their time, they step up confident and ready. We can be prepared for the next step in our lives as well, by planning ahead and being aware of where we are. Life belongs to those who take it. Sitting around and simply waiting for success will never work. We must be ready to move forward. We can plan for our futures today by doing what is needed to prepare for success and being ready when our opportunities arrive.

As we go through our busy lives it’s easy to get caught up in what we’re doing and set our future goals aside thinking we’ll get to them later. We’re busy and it’s hard to think about the things we want to do when we’re so wrapped up in what we’re doing now. The problem with setting goals aside when we’re busy is we’re always busy. Expecting the perfect moment to appear when we’ll have nothing to do but plan for our future is futile. There are few times in our lives when everything will be done. If we want to accomplish a goal, we must plan for it even when we’re actively engaged in other things. We can look at it, determine what we need to complete it, and with each passing day choose to do something to prepare for it. It takes conscious planning and thought to prepare for success but even when we’re busy we can find the time if we’re motivated enough. We can’t get more time into our days but we can manage our time to allow for what’s most important to us. Planning for success will help us achieve it. Achieving the goals we most want will bring happiness.

Coasting through our lives and simply managing what comes every day will keep us busy and involved. There will be countless complications, endless tasks to finish, and a continual list of things to do. Being busy allows us to get a lot of things done but if we aren’t directing our lives toward completing the goals we most want we won’t feel fulfilled and satisfied. If we want real happiness, it’s important to focus on what we most want to achieve. We can prepare and be ready for when we are able to move forward. Our lives belong to us. Planning for what we really want and then accomplishing it will bring us happiness and success.

Today if you’ve been busy and putting off something you really want to do, think about how you can prepare to accomplish it. Plan for success going forward and lay the groundwork for your future. You’ll be ready when the time is right. You have everything you need to do anything you want. Get ready, get set, and when it’s time, go forward.

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Good Things and Bad People

1 Dec

Most of us have a sense of what is fair and how life should be balanced. We believe the unjust and mean should be punished and the righteous and kind should be rewarded. It seems reasonable that good works should bring blessings and evil should result in pain. But it doesn’t always work out that way. We’ve all seen bad people become successful and wickedness rewarded. It doesn’t make sense when it happens and can be hard to accept. Some people believe in Karma – that whatever we do will return to us someday. Along that same line is the law of the harvest which states we will reap what we sow. While it’s true that eventually we will answer for everything we do, whether good or bad, it may not happen right away. When we see hateful, mean, dishonest people move ahead and find success it’s hard to accept, but sometimes good things happen to bad people. However, there is a balance in life and eventually we will all answer for our actions no matter what they are. We might get away with being a snake for a while but eventually the mongoose will show up. There really is no such thing as a free lunch. Eventually we all pay the price for our actions.

As we live our lives we may pretend to be any kind of person we like. We can say anything and it’s often not too difficult to deceive others. We can look the part of a patient and honest individual, appearing to do what’s right when we’re really cheating everyone we come in contact with and breaking every rule that suits us to get ahead. We may fool everyone for a while and get away with the lies but eventually who we really are will shine through. There is no way to fool everyone indefinitely and it’s impossible to keep up a perfect charade over time. Truth always rises and cannot be hidden forever. The smoke will clear and we’ll be exposed. In the end, dishonesty cannot prevail.

When we were children our teachers and parents told us to play fair. They taught us to share and give so we could get along with others. As we mature we learn that although it’s good to be fair, the world isn’t really fair all of the time. Bad people win, the wicked prevail, and sometimes lies get rewarded. Not everyone will treat us honestly and with respect, and sometimes there will be nothing we can do about it. It’s hard to accept that good things sometimes happen to bad people but we can still choose to be valiant. No harm can come from being kind, decent, loving and caring. Honesty and integrity will bring us respect and confidence knowing we are doing what is right. We may not always prevail at first, but if we choose wisely and ethically we will always be right. We can impact the world positively by doing our best and setting the example for good.

Today if you see someone getting ahead through dishonesty and deceit remember there is nothing more valuable than truth and integrity. Your choices determine who you are and you can choose well. Decide to be the best you can and be an example to those around you. You have the power to change the world. Be the light of truth and show the way.

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Jigsaw Puzzle

30 Nov

Most of us have worked on a jigsaw puzzle. It’s fun to dump the pieces out on a big surface and start sorting them. The fewer the pieces the easier the puzzle is to complete. Complicated puzzles with hundreds of pieces take longer and instead of putting them all together at once may take days or weeks to complete. They all differ but they are simply pictures cut up waiting for us to bring them together again. Sometimes our lives feel like jigsaw puzzles. The paths we’ve been on may get cut up, the things we had together may get separated, and we may have to put things back together again piece by piece. When the pieces are jumbled up and upside down it’s hard to figure them out but one by one we can turn them over and decide where to put them. We just need time to find the all the pieces and build the picture.

Life rarely goes the way we think it will. There are a lot of variables in everything. Things move and reshape constantly. As we adjust to each modification we may need to change our direction. The goal may stay the same but the road to it may move a little here and there. When we plot a graph, we make clear, straight lines between the defined locations. It looks nice and it’s easy to understand. Unfortunately, life doesn’t exist on graph paper. It’s more like abstract art. A bit of yellow paint here, a streak of red there, some blue thrown in at random and white space in between we have yet to paint. There’s a lot going on and the more we look at it, the more we see. It’s complicated and can be confusing. But we have the power of discernment and can figure out even the most complex of pictures. Like a jigsaw puzzle we can begin to put it all together and find our way.

If we lived in a vacuum we could make our decisions, plot a course forward and be done. We could be in control of everything. There would be no problems or complications, and other people would never be able to interfere with their opinions and decisions. But there will always be others involved in almost everything we do, there will be issues that gum up the works, and unexpected developments will invariably get in the way. As we go, we learn a lot by working through each situation that arrives, find solutions to the problems we encounter and cope with all the personalities around us. Unlike a jigsaw puzzle where we simply put the pieces together in their pre-determined places to create the picture, we have the opportunity to see all the sides of each piece and determine how best to use it. The goals we set determine the pictures we make. We can live our lives any way we want to and accomplish any goal we set. We just need to decide how all the pieces will come together.

Today if you feel like your life is a puzzle torn apart and disconnected you can begin to put things together. Decide where you want to go and what you want to do. Then choose each piece one by one that will take you there. You already have the picture in your mind. You can put it all together and begin moving forward. There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish and you will be successful. Take it one piece at a time and before you know it your life will be the picture you want to create. Success is waiting for you.

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