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Too Much

7 Jun

There are times in everyone’s life when we want something new. Maybe we want to learn a new skill, get more education, move up in our careers, or try something completely different. When we’re thinking about a change and all that it will entail to make it happen we can sometimes think we can’t do it. Or we might think we aren’t worthy of the growth, or we may even think we don’t deserve it. There is a lot to experience in this life but we can only have the experiences we’re willing to try. If we don’t believe we can do something, odds are we won’t do it. If we don’t think we can manage the challenge, we may not even try. But we can do anything we want to do. There isn’t anything out of reach if we want it badly enough. And we all deserve everything we want in our lives. We don’t have to be perfect, we don’t have to get approval, and we don’t have to wait. We can have anything we want as soon as we’re ready to do what it takes to get it. There is nothing that is too much for us. We can climb mountains, learn to fly, get an advanced degree, open a new business, or just take one day a week off. It’s all up to us. We don’t need the support of everyone around us. All we need to do is decide. And then go for it.

Some people like routines and keeping things the same. There is security in knowing what to expect each day, and that security is important to some. But the problem with keeping everything the same is that nothing changes. And when nothing changes we can’t grow. If we want a life that’s fulfilling and challenging, we have to be willing to try new things. Getting out of our comfort zones isn’t always easy. They’re called comfort zones because we’re comfortable in them. If we step away from them and do something new it may open up a whole new arena in our lives. We can’t know what’s outside if we stay indoors all the time. There are limitless experiences waiting for us but we have to be willing to let them in.

We may not always get support from those around us when we decide to change our lives. They may say we’re too young or too old, it’s too hard, they don’t want us to change because they like things the way they are, or a thousand others reasons. If they try to keep us the same it just means they don’t want to change. They may certainly keep their lives any way they want them and that has no bearing on our decisions. Everyone can choose the type of life they want. If we want to, we can embrace all our dreams and forge ahead to make them come true. We are the only ones who can make our dreams a reality. There are no fairy godmothers coming to grant our wishes and there is no magic spell that will make them come true. We can do it ourselves. There is no dream that’s too big, no change that’s too much, and no future we can’t create. We have everything we need to have the kind of life we want.

Today if you’ve been dreaming of a life different than the one you’ve been living, change your course. Set out on a path that will make your dreams come true. You can do anything. There is nothing strong enough to keep you from moving forward. You deserve everything you want and you can get it. Open all the doors and push through. The destination is waiting for you.

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The Ladder

6 Jun

Ambition is putting a ladder against the sky.  American Proverb
 
When we want something we don’t have or want to achieve something higher than where we are we have ambition.  We believe we can do what is needed to succeed and set our sights on the goal.  Ambition is greater than hope because we put effort into gaining the achievement.  Having ambition is like climbing a ladder.  When we need to reach something higher than where we are we can use a ladder.  We lean it against something sturdy and safely climb higher to reach the goal.  Ambition is like setting a ladder against the sky.  The sky has no end and there is no limit to what we can achieve.  Having ambition allows us to dream of something more, something higher or greater.  It enables us to stretch further and see how far we can go.  We can try to reach anything we want.  We can push ourselves to become more, and when we do we learn more about who we are and discover what we’re capable of.  We can do anything.  We can set the ladder against the sky and scale it as high as we like.

Anything worth having is worth working for.  Nothing of value comes to us without effort.  If we stand still and coast through our lives, we will never achieve our full potential.  We are capable of doing more than we believe we can but we won’t find our real limits unless we push forward.  If we want to we can simply coast through our lives.  Coasting is effortless movement.  It might take us in the direction we want to go but it’s susceptible to the winds of change and the decisions of others.  If we do nothing to direct our course and simply allow life to carry us, we will go places but they may not be the places we want to be.  And because there is no effort we won’t become stronger.  When we have no rudder we can’t steer our ship or choose a destination.  If we allow ourselves to simply be driven by all the forces around us, we have no idea where we’ll end up.

Our lives belong to us.  They are ours and ours alone.  It doesn’t matter what other people think we should be doing.  What matters is what we choose to do.  Choosing to do nothing is a choice we can make if we want to.  But we only get one shot at this life and wasting even one day is a loss we can never recover.  We know what we want our lives to be like.  We know what we want.  We have the power to aim high and achieve anything we like.  We can direct our course to the destinations we choose and we can turn our ship at any time.  If we anchor our progression with effort and planning we can succeed.  There isn’t anything we can’t do.  Every dream can become a reality if we do what it takes to achieve it.

Today if there is something you want to gain, someplace you want to go, or something you want to achieve, set your sights on the goal and begin moving toward it.  You have all the ambition and drive you need to make it yours.  Start moving toward the destination and soon you’ll see it just ahead.  There isn’t anything you can’t do.  Set your ladder and start climbing.

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The Delete Key

3 Jun

In this day of computers, anything we write or create may be erased with the push of a button.  It’s very convenient if we change our plans or make a mistake.  All we have to do is press the delete key and all evidence of the activity disappears.  It’s like magic. Sometimes we might wish we had a delete key for our lives.  Maybe we do something we regret, or say something we didn’t mean, or get involved in a situation that brings us sorrow.  It would be great when those things happen if we could just delete the experience and move on.  It would be such a blessing to be able to remove all reminders of the event and completely erase it from our lives.  Sadly that is never an option.  In this life, once a card is played it’s there forever.  Our actions, good or bad, become part of our irrevocable history.  We all make mistakes.  They can’t be avoided and they teach us the lessons we need to learn to be happy and successful.  But it doesn’t feel good when we’re in the midst of them and have to push through whatever complications they bring us.  Although we may wish for the delete key in our lives, if we can remember that each experience teaches us something of value we can move forward with confidence despite what has happened in the past.

As we go through our lives we enjoy happy experiences and hope they’ll stay with us.  We endure the hard ones as well, and pray they’ll end quickly.  But we learn the most from the hard times as they mold us and teach us about who we are and what we want.  Often as we look back at the things we’ve been through we see the times that were the hardest taught us the most valuable lessons.  It’s hard to be grateful for difficulty and nobody prays for trouble in their lives.  But the trouble is what teaches us.  We learn good things from the easy times and enjoy them when we have them.  The hard times aren’t usually enjoyable and even if we wish we could magically make them disappear, give us endurance and help us find pleasure and joy even when things are going wrong.  Those gifts brings a richness to our lives that easy living could never give us.  Everyone wants to live a strong, rich life and struggling helps us achieve that.

We all have some regrets.  Perhaps we have deep regrets for decisions we’ve made, but we all have the opportunity to learn from those experiences so we don’t have to repeat them.  The sorrow of heartbreak helps us appreciate those who love us.  The remorse for dishonesty reminds us how important it is to be true.  The sting of betrayal teaches us how to be loyal.  Every problem brings a blessing.  If we can remember what we’re learning when we’re struggling we won’t yearn for the delete key.  We can embrace whatever comes to us – good or bad – learn from it and go forward with more understanding and greater confidence.  People often use the phrase, “It’s all good,” when describing an experience.  In our lives that’s true – it’s all good in one way or another.

Today if you wish you could go back and erase something, and remove it as though it never happened, stop and look at how much you learned from the experience.  You have come so far and each day takes you closer to where you want to be.  Embrace everything you’re going through.  You’re becoming the person you most want to be with each step you take.  And that person is the perfect reflection of you.

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Dodgeball

2 Jun

Playing dodgeball is fun and can be exciting and challenging. The game involves several balls being thrown by opposing teams. The idea is not to get hit by a ball thrown by an opponent. If we do get hit, we’re out. But if we’re quick and pay attention we can catch the balls that are being thrown at us and preserve our spot in the game. It’s a challenge to dodge the balls and be fast enough to catch them before they strike us out. Life can be like playing dodgeball. There are always things being thrown at us that can catch us off guard. Maybe someone wants us to do something we don’t really have time for, or we accumulate too much work as we move along and things need attention. If we get distracted by everything that’s happening, or become overworked, we can get hit with something that knocks us off our feet. But if we’re quick and paying attention, we can turn and face whatever is coming, catch it, and address it successfully. The constant needs of others or things we have to do can derail us if we get caught up in them. But we can manage and control our time and efforts. We can avoid getting hit and losing our place. It all depends on how we play the game.

Our lives are busy and there is always something that needs to be done. We have our personal needs, maintenance issues that crop up, work tasks, and relationship needs among a thousand other things. There’s a lot going on all the time. In addition to our regular responsibilities, others may ask us for more even when we’re overloaded. We can try to dodge the additional tasks but most of us want to be helpful and try to do all we can. If we get overwhelmed, we can get hit by a ball and knocked out of the game altogether. If we allow ourselves to commit to too much, we may become overwhelmed and overworked. When that happens we have to stop and take ourselves out of the game until we can regroup and start again.

Most of us want to be helpful and do as much as we can for others. The problem is there are always more “others” than there are “us.” We have limits on our time and energy and if we fail to control how much time we’re promising away or how much energy we’ve committed to giving, we will lose in the end. It’s up to us to manage our time and if we can’t take on more, we need to dodge the ball by saying no. We can’t catch all the balls all the time. Understanding our limitations and working within them makes us successful and confident. Nobody can do everything. Only we know where our limits are. Recognizing them and doing our best to navigate them will make us successful and confident.

Today try to recognize where your limits are and work within them. You do a lot but you don’t have to do everything. Catch the balls you can and do your best. Let the rest go. You know what’s best for you. Do that and you’ll be confident and successful. You have so much to give. Be wise and manage your time. You’ll be happier and more successful when you do.

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Unrealized

31 May

We all have a lot of potential in our lives. There are limitless things we can do and learn, and every day we can try something new. But potential is not achievement. What is possible doesn’t mean anything if we do nothing. Life is full of choices and every choice we make takes us somewhere. If we choose to, we can live mediocre lives and follow along without ever trying to be the best we could be. We don’t have to test our limits and see how far we can go. We may have great potential, but potential is unrealized expectation. There is the possibility we could achieve something great, but without action it will sit dormant. Nothing happens unless we do it. We will never go as far as we can, or achieve all that’s possible unless we do what is needed ourselves. Nobody will hand us success. It’s always available to us, but the choice to go get it is ours.

Sometimes it takes time to decide what we want to achieve. We have to figure out what we want most and how we want to live. We may perceive limitations that keep us from trying, or be intimidated by change. But if we want to do something, no matter what it is, we can do it. It takes the decision to succeed, determination to stay the course, and focus to get where we want to go. We’re all capable of doing great things and only we can decide what those things are. We may need some time to determine exactly where we want to go, but we can choose any direction we like, and then chart a course to get there. If we stay true to our desires and focused on our goal, we will succeed and our potential will be realized.

It’s frustrating and unfulfilling to live our lives endlessly hoping for things and doing nothing to achieve them. We can hope we’ll lose weight, hope we’ll make more money, hope we’ll become more educated, hope we’ll get better jobs and all the rest. But hope is only desire and anticipation. It doesn’t help us actually achieve the thing we want. If we really want to move forward to the things we desire, we have to work for them and do what is needed to achieve them. We can realize all our potential. We can make all our dreams reality but we have to do what is needed to get there. Potential is great. It helps us plan for our future and what we want most. But until we start moving forward, potential is only what’s possible. We have everything we need to change potential into achievement. We can do anything we want to do. We can move forward and when we do, all our dreams can come true.

Today if you’ve been hoping for something and you know you are capable of more than you’re doing, start planning to move forward. You have unlimited potential for success. You have everything you need to succeed and you deserve every success. Take the first step toward your goals, and then take another. Keep moving forward and you’ll realize all your greatest potential and make all your dreams come true.

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