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Wishes and Dreams

29 Mar

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  Antoine de Saint Exupery

We all have ideas about things we want in our lives.  We think about them, hope for them, and dream about them.  We can fill our lives up thinking about the things we want to happen and what we want to do.  Maybe we want a better job or a nicer car, or want to spend more time doing something or seeing someone, or want to learn something we’ve been pondering.  Thinking is fine, but thinking about them only takes us through the idea of what they would be like.  It doesn’t make anything happen.  We can set all the goals we want, and have all the dreams we desire, but if we don’t make a plan to accomplish them, nothing will change.  The very first step in any change is to plan for it.  Our lives are busy and the days fly by.  We can talk about what we’re going to do, what we’re going to accomplish or what we’re going to get, until the end of time.  But if we do nothing, they will never become reality.

We know when we want something in our lives.  We feel it, we yearn for it, and at times can think of nothing more.  The desire is there but making goals a reality in our lives takes more than desire – it takes action.  Sometimes we don’t move forward because we are afraid we won’t succeed.   Sometimes reaching for the goal means we have to do something intimidating.  Any time we reach for something new we’re going to be in unfamiliar territory.  That’s what change is all about.  If we want something different we have to be willing to step where we’ve never been before.  There will be uncertainty because we don’t know the terrain, and we haven’t walked the path in the past.  But we are certainly brave enough to process differences and find our way.  There is no path so difficult or complicated we can’t figure it out.

Making a plan is imperative to making a change.  When there is no plan there is no direction, and things stay ambiguous and undefined.  But if we decide we’re ready to go forward, make a plan, and then set a date to begin, we will find success.  Just letting things happen will only allow us to experience what comes to us without any thought.  If we want to do anything, we need direction and focus.  There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish but we need to plan to succeed to make it happen.  We can leave our lives up to chance and maybe the things we want will come to us – maybe they won’t.  But if we really want them, we can take the chance out of the equation, and by planning make them real.  We deserve the lives we want most.  And if we direct our lives where we want them to go, we can have everything we’re seeking.

Today if you’ve been waiting for your dreams to come true, start making a plan to make them a reality.  There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish.  Think about what you really want and then decide how to get it.  Everything is waiting for you.  You can reach any goal you set your mind to.  Start today, and soon all your dreams will come true.

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Report Card

28 Mar

No matter where we live or who we are, there may be others around us who have ideas about how we should be living our lives. Maybe they think we should work in certain fields, or marry, or stay single, or live with the family, or a million other variations. There can be great pressure to conform if we are surrounded by others who have done things a certain way for a long time. Our lives belong to us, and we get to choose what we do. But the judgment of others may come into play. If we want to please those we love and they have strong ideas about our lives, we may go along.  And we can go along any time we choose to. But if we aren’t living genuinely and expressing who we are, we won’t find true happiness and satisfaction. The report card others have for us may be important to them, but it doesn’t mean it has to be important to us. We can set our own standards and make our own choices. It may not be easy to break a trend, but we are wise enough to know what we really want, and brave enough to get it. The only report card we need to be concerned with is the one we set for ourselves. It doesn’t matter if everyone around us wants to do things a certain way. If it doesn’t fit who we are, we may choose another road.

Some people don’t like it when others are different. They feel more comfortable when everybody looks the same, and does the same things. It may feel more secure knowing what each day will bring and how things are likely to go. In situations like that, if we try to do something different we may be judged or criticized in an effort to bring us in line with everyone else. It’s not comfortable to be judged by others, and if it’s strong enough we may try to conform. But conforming to get along will only work for a short time. Who we are will eventually need to come out or we’ll never be happy. We can do things our way, and express our differences in an appropriate manner that is respectful. We don’t have to conform. We can choose to be who we really are and if judgments come, we can navigate them.

There is no one right way to live a life. There is no perfect model, and there are countless ways to live well. There are some who believe their model is the only one that works or counts, but that’s never true. Every life that is lived genuinely and honestly is lived well. We can live in the country or the city, in a house or an apartment, with others or alone.  As long as it’s the life we choose, it’s right for us. And when we live the life that’s right for us we will find true happiness. This life is a gift. Every single day is precious and we deserve to be happy. If others want to grade us and judge us, and aren’t in agreement with our choices – it will be their burden to carry. We can be fine just being ourselves. We can set our own standards, and live according to our own dictates. We were created to be exactly who we are. When we embrace that, we will find true happiness.

Today if you feel like you’ve been trying to fit a mold that isn’t you, remember who you are is perfect. You are exactly the person you need to be. Show us your genuine and honest self. You have so much to offer. Share it with the world and we’ll love you just as you are.

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Today

26 Mar

Every day we live we have the chance to do anything we want to do. Every day brings with it the promise of happiness. Even if today doesn’t not turn out to be the best day of our lives, it is the only day we have. Yesterday is gone and will never return, and tomorrow is out of our control. All we have is today. We can decide how we’ll live it, what we’ll do, where we’ll go, and what we’ll learn. If we make the most of it, today may bring untold blessings and countless benefits. If we squander it just going through the motions it will pass, and nothing will be gained. We cannot stop the march of time. We can’t make it last longer or slow down. We can only navigate it as it comes and do our best to make the most of it. It’s easy to close our eyes and drift through the hours, mindless of what we’re doing and oblivious of what’s available. But our chance to live right now is fleeting, and the hours will be wasted if we don’t pay attention and live wide awake.

Today is a good day to start. If we’ve been thinking about something we want to do, somewhere we want to go, or someone we want to see, today is the perfect day to begin. We can take the first step on a new journey, or begin the plans we’ve been making and putting off. Sometimes just taking the first step is the hardest but once we’ve set our foot in the direction we want to go we can be off and running. Every dream is a possibility. Every goal is achievable, and today is a good time to start making them happen. We can set time aside and really begin to move in the direction we want to go. We can reorganize our priorities to make sure we continue moving forward, and we can succeed. If we aren’t quite ready, today is the day to start making a plan. Unrealized goals often bring with them frustration and unhappiness. If we are consciously working toward where we want to be and actively pursuing what we want to gain, we will find contentment even before we reach the goal. When we’re on the road moving forward we will gain the confidence we need to succeed.

If we’ve been grieving or hurting from something in the past, today is a good day to start letting go. No matter how many tears we’ve cried, no matter how many sleepless nights we’ve endured – it’s enough. Maybe we can’t let go of all the hurt but today we could look up and let happiness creep in just a little. Pain sometimes has its own timetable and we can’t rush it, but we can give ourselves a breather. We can take a day off from the worry and sorrow. It will still be there tomorrow if we return to it. But if we’ve had enough, we can choose today to let it go and move forward. Happiness is a gift we give to ourselves. Nobody else can give it to us. We have to decide to take it and make it a reality in our lives. This life flies by in an instant. We can choose to be happy and make the most of each day, and today is the perfect day to start.

Today – if you’ve been wanting to do something and haven’t begun, start. If you’ve been suffering and are ready to move forward, let it go. You are worth more than you know. The world is blessed because you are here, and your presence brings light to us all. Choose today to move forward and be happy. You deserve every happiness. You can have it. Today is the perfect day to get it.

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Tadpoles

25 Mar

Tadpoles are interesting creatures.  They are generally water creatures, and have gills, no legs, and a tail.  But their form is transitional.  Their quest is to become frogs – an entirely different creature that looks and lives completely differently.  As tadpoles mature, their gills are replaced by lungs so they can breathe air, their tails disappear, and they grow legs.  Their mouths change and become very wide, and their diet changes as well.  The metamorphosis from one creature to the other is dramatic and amazing.  The change is extreme and occurs naturally without intervention.  We aren’t tadpoles but we change as we grow as well.  We aren’t going to grow another set of legs, but the metamorphosis we go through as we change into our unique and genuine selves can be dramatic.  But our changes don’t always happen without intervention.  Life gives us challenges and trials, and as we navigate each one we change a little.  Our changes may not be dramatic, although they can be.  Change is a constant in our lives, and if we are wise the changes we go through will take us to who we really want to be.

When we stretch our abilities and push ourselves to move forward, we may feel discomfort.  It’s like deciding to start running to get into shape.  There are lots of benefits to getting more physical exercise, but getting to those benefits means we have to go through a transition.  At first we may struggle to get through the run.  The next day we may feel pain because we’re doing something new.  It may be difficult to manage, but if we stick to it and continue day after day, we’ll become stronger and gain the benefits we are seeking.  Change isn’t always easy.  At first turning another way may feel foreign and uncomfortable, but as we practice we’ll find our rhythm and the behaviors we want will become routine.  But it doesn’t happen overnight.  The tadpole needs time to change into a frog, and we need to time to change as well.

Like most situations in our lives, the big changes generally take longer to adjust to than the smaller ones.  If we want to change our route to work it will take little effort, but if we want to stop smoking it will be much harder.  No matter what it takes, if we want to change anything, we can.  Our lives are not carved in stone and we aren’t pre-determined to do anything.  We can change anything we like.  There may be pressure from those around us to keep things the same because it’s comfortable and rocking the boat can unbalance things.  But if we want to we can push forward and once on the other side, our balance will return.  There isn’t anything we can’t do and we don’t have to live a life we don’t want.  We are in control and can choose any path going forward.

Today if you’ve been thinking about a change you really want to make, take a step toward it.  You know where you want to go and how you want to get there.  The first step will open the door to the destination.  You can do anything.  You can decide how your life will go.  Begin today moving toward where you want to be.  You’re only steps away.

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The Other Eleven

24 Mar

When we’ve set a goal for ourselves and we’re moving forward, sometimes along the way we have a setback. Maybe we lose our focus for a moment and go the wrong way, or go backward, or even stop altogether. No journey is without occasional bumps and detours and we expect them when we travel. When they happen we take them in stride, and just keep going. But when it’s a personal situation, when we’re trying to change something about ourselves or do something we want badly and we go sideways, we can feel frustrated. We might even convince ourselves we can’t succeed and think about quitting. If we take an egg from the carton and accidentally drop it, we don’t ever think of smashing the other eleven because one got broken. We just clean up the mess and continue on. When we lose our footing as we try to achieve something, we break the diet, forget the gym, or sleep in instead of working on the project, it’s like breaking one egg. We aren’t ruined. We haven’t failed. It’s just a slight detour. All is not lost. We can get back on the road and pointed in the right direction again. We are still capable of succeeding and we can keep going.

Detours happen for a lot of reasons. Sometimes we get tired of trying so hard. Sometimes we get distracted. And sometimes we forget our focus. Life is busy and complicated. No matter what we’re trying to accomplish, odds are it isn’t the only thing we have to do. We’re busy and our goals are just one of the things we’re involved with. But when they are important to us and we really want to accomplish them, they have to take precedence whenever possible. It isn’t always easy to juggle everything in our lives, and change is hard for most of us. But despite the detours that occur, no matter what the cause, if we’re determined to succeed we can re-align our path and begin to move forward again. There isn’t anything that will stop us from achieving our goals if we want them badly enough.

When we falter we can be stalled by self criticism and doubt. We might believe that because we haven’t achieved the goal yet, and we’ve gotten off the path again, we don’t have what we need to be successful. But that isn’t true. It doesn’t matter how many times we get sidelined. What matters is that we start again. And again. And again. We can’t go forward if we stop. We can’t achieve anything if we quit trying. If we drop one egg, we don’t have to smash the other eleven. No matter what has happened or how long it’s taken, we can still succeed. The only thing that will stop us is if we stop ourselves. There isn’t anything we can’t accomplish if we just keep pushing forward. Just one step more and we’ll be on the road again. We have everything we need to get to the goal. Nothing is strong enough to stop us.

Today if you’re feeling defeated because you’ve been side tracked and haven’t moved forward the way you wanted to, you can correct your course. Refine your focus and begin again. There isn’t anything you can’t accomplish. You have everything you need to succeed. You know what you want. Don’t let anything stop you from getting it. You deserve every blessing, and they will all be yours if you keep moving forward.

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