Bright Lights

1 Sep

We try to make good decisions most of the time. We weigh the options, think about results, and try to plan for the best outcomes. Most of the time. Sometimes when we’re in a rush and things are pressing on us we may make a decision out of desperation that takes us somewhere we aren’t happy about. Of course we can always change course and correct the situation but the detour may take time and keep us from where we want to go. When we’re in a dark room it’s hard to find anything and we may trip on something we can’t see. When there’s little light we have to rely on our instincts and try to navigate through without getting hurt. Just like being in a dark room if we make decisions without all the facts we may trip and fall. If we can’t see well, we may stumble and choose a path that doesn’t work. To make our best decisions we need to see everything possible and turn on all the lights. It’s amazing how different things look in the light if we’ve been traveling in the dark. Light clarifies our path and shows us everything that may trip us. We have the power to turn the lights on before we decide by stopping and waiting for the situation to clear. Most decisions can withstand the time it takes for us to get the information we need to choose well. Taking a little more time instead of rushing will help us make the best decisions we can and have the best chance of taking us to where we really want to go.

When we’re in the process of making an important decision there are sometimes others involved. They may have their own personal ideas about how things should go and what we should do, and they may try to influence us. Some people have their own agendas and may try to pressure us into choosing what benefits them. We may get all kinds of advice about what we should or shouldn’t do. We can listen to everyone else’s opinion if we like and we can weigh all the possibilities but in the end if the decision is ours we can do what we feel is best. We know where we want to go and how we want things to be. We can listen to other ideas and still choose what is best for us.

Sometimes we may make a decision in a situation that is unclear because we are pressured to move quickly. If we don’t have enough time to see clearly we may choose something that doesn’t work out. Nobody makes bad decisions on purpose thinking they will take them to success. If we’ve made a bad choice in a rush, and can now see clearly where we faltered we can go back and correct our course. Nothing is permanent in life and everything can be changed. There isn’t anything we can’t change if we want to badly enough. Bright lights are needed to make the best decisions. We can turn the light all the way up by taking our time and getting the facts first. We are smart enough and wise enough to make good choices, and we can take the time we need to ensure we do.

Today if you feel pressure to make a decision but aren’t sure, take a step back and see the facts clearly. Take the time you need to ensure your decision takes you exactly where you want to go. Turn the lights all the way up so you can see the road ahead. You will choose well and find your way. You have everything you need to succeed.

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On the Way

30 Aug

When we’re trying to be the very best we can be and do things well it can be hard to accept when things don’t work out. When we’re trying hard to excel it’s disappointing when we miss the mark we’re aiming for. It would be great if everything came to us easily and every project was successful but that’s not real life. We all have shortcomings and weaknesses. Nobody is perfect and even if we really want to achieve sometimes we will come up short. It’s hard to accept that we can’t do everything the first time we try especially if what we’re trying to do is important to us. But there are endless versions in life and if one plan doesn’t work, we can try another. We’re constantly changing and moving toward somewhere else or on the way to a new place. If one road doesn’t take us to our destination, we can try another. We don’t have to give up. Nothing can keep us from where we want to go but we may have to try a few different paths to find success.

The old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” is helpful. We understand sometimes we have to try a few different ideas before we find the one that works. But if we’ve been trying for a while and still haven’t succeeded we may begin to feel defeated. It’s hard to keep going when the road never seems to end. But if the goal is something we really want to achieve, there is nothing that can keep us from it. We may have to try several different ideas, and it may take us longer than we had planned but it’s still there waiting for us. If we adjust a little and try a different method, we will eventually find success. Anything worth gaining is worth our time. We can take whatever time we need to get there and we can succeed.

This life is constantly in “hurry up” mode. It seems no matter what we’re doing someone expects us to get it done quicker but if we only focus on how long it takes to accomplish a task we may miss all the things we’re learning on the way. We can try to get things done quickly and often we will, but if we focus on getting them done well instead of the time it takes we will be happier with the results in the end. If we rush we may miss subtle clues that can bring us greater success. Doing our best requires our attention. Trying to hurry may get us to the end faster but it probably won’t improve the result. Whatever we’re doing is worth doing well. We can do our best at every step and when we get to the goal we’ll be happy and satisfied with our accomplishment.

Today if you’ve been trying to accomplish something and haven’t succeeded, it is still there for you. Adjust your path and try another road. You don’t have to hurry and the goal is within reach. There is nothing that will stop you from getting there. You have everything you need to succeed. Try again. You’re already on the way and success is just around the corner.

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The Whole Story

29 Aug

There may be times in our lives when we get wrapped up in a situation so tightly and are so close to an issue we can’t see it clearly.  We may have suspicions things aren’t exactly as they seem but if we’re too close, even if we have doubts, we may neglect to see the whole story.  Personal desire can be very powerful and if we want a situation to be real we can ignore important cues and refuse to look at things objectively.  If others want us to believe something that isn’t true and manipulate us to keep us from seeing the truth, it can be hard to sort things out.  Misdirection, mixed messages, and dishonesty can make us believe something that isn’t real.  If we are courageous and refuse to ignore promptings that things aren’t as they seem, we can find our way.  But if we’re caught up and very much want things to be real we may look away.  As long as we refuse to see the whole story we may live in the land of fiction, and we will stay there until we’re ready to see what is true.  We deserve truth in our lives.  We can face anything openly and see it as it really is.  When we’re ready to see the truth, we can manage whatever we find.

Some people have powerful personal agendas that drive them to do anything to achieve them.  They don’t care if they are dishonest, they don’t care who gets hurt, and they don’t care what they have to do to get to their goal.  If we become entangled with them they may do things that make us believe things that aren’t true.  If they don’t care about anything but themselves they may deceive us and we may be hurt.  If we value them and believe we have a close relationship with them, we may be hurt badly.  But we don’t have to believe anything without proving it first.  We can listen objectively and evaluate what is real.  We are smart enough and wise enough to discern truth and if we set personal feelings aside and see the situation objectively we will find it.  Truth is the only thing that is constant.  It may be ignored for a time but it will always surface.  Seeking it and listening to it will help us find our way through any situation.

There is nothing wrong with desiring to achieve goals.  It’s good to be ambitious and self-directed.  But if all we see is the goal and are willing to pay any price to achieve it we may become selfish and merciless manipulating others to move us forward.  We are better than that and are accountable for everything we do.  We can achieve anything we want and we can choose to do it nobly.  It is far better to move forward with honesty and bring others along with us through motivation and kindness.  We can do anything and we can do it with honor.  If we do what is best and achieve our goals honorably we will become the people we most want to be.  And our example will inspire those around us and make a positive impact on the world.

Today if you feel something isn’t right in a situation you’re living, step back and look at it objectively.  You will find the answers and see the best way forward.  If you are trying to accomplish a goal and are highly motivated to make it a reality, bring others along by treating them with respect and being honest.  You can do anything.  You are strong and wise.  Show that strength and wisdom in all you do, and be the best you can be.

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Competition

26 Aug

There are a lot of ways to find success as we navigate through our lives.  Maybe we work hard and become successful in business, or we raise strong healthy children, or we do something better than anyone else.  There are limitless ways to express excellence in our lives.  Sometimes we might feel we have to do better because we’re in competition with someone else, or want to prevail in a specific situation better than anyone has before.  The idea of competition can bring out the very best in us as we strive for more and reach higher.  There are a lot of ways to compare ourselves to the world and those around us and we may feel inspired to do more because of them.  But in reality, no matter what we do as we try to accomplish anything we are only in competition with ourselves.  If we do our very best and reach as high as we can no matter where we land in the end we have succeeded.  The world has all kinds of ways to measure success.  There are accolades galore, awards, prizes, adulation and laud to seek after.  But those mean nothing if we haven’t done our best.  And when we give our best, we win.  We win even if we don’t come in first.  We win even if we don’t get the prize.  The competition is within us at every turn and how we handle it defines the true winner.

The way the world measures success may not represent us, and the ideas of success set by other people do not define it for us.  If others determine it’s desirable to be tall we can be happy being short.  If they decide it’s better to go fast, we can be content to go at our own speed.  We define our personal success.  We can determine how our lives should look and how we want to live.  We are not defined by the measures set by those around us but by the measures we set for ourselves.  We know what we want and we know where we want to be.  Doing things our way will bring us personal satisfaction and true success.

It takes time to decide how we want to live our lives.  If we go along with what we’re told and never think about what we really want we may end up in situations that aren’t where we want to be.  Defining who we are and what we want to do is up to us.  It’s easy to go with the flow and do what makes everyone else happy.  But we deserve to have lives that reflect who we really are.  We can turn left even if everyone else is turning right.  We can choose a different path any time we like.  When we live our lives genuinely, defined by our own personal parameters we will find success no matter what we’re doing.  We are unique, impressive, and precious as we are.  We can define our own successes and measure up to our own standards.  This life is an incredible gift.  Living it our way is the best blessing we can give ourselves.

Today if you’ve been competing with others remember the real competition is within you.  You will succeed if you accomplish what’s most important to you.  Decide what makes you happy and then proceed on your own course.  You have excellence in you.  You can define what that looks like and find true happiness.

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Too Far

24 Aug

When we’re trying to move forward we sometimes push ourselves beyond our comfort zones. We reach further than we have before in an effort to get ahead and stretch our capabilities. We are often capable of doing more and when we’re striving for success we test our limits to see how far we can go. It’s important to stretch if we want to achieve and we sometimes surprise ourselves at what we can accomplish with determination. But sometimes we push too far and when we do we may be hurt. We may over commit our time and then find we can’t keep our promises, or work too many hours and end up completely exhausted and unable to do anything. We should push to be the best we can but we must be mindful of where the lines are. There are limits to everything and recognizing those limits will help us find success. Learning to work around limitations enables us to achieve results more effectively and easily, and prevents us from going too far and potentially getting hurt.

Our physical limitations change over time. What we used to do easily years ago may be harder to accomplish as time goes by. Even if we are fit and healthy our abilities will change over time. It can be hard to accept the need to modify and sometimes we may ignore the signals and push ourselves beyond our limits. We may think that because we believe we can do it, we can do it. There is nothing wrong with high aspirations, but reasoning must be a part of the picture as well. If we truly cannot accomplish a task without injury, it’s foolish to try. When we go beyond what we can reasonably accomplish, we may get hurt. And getting hurt and having to take time out to heal and correct our course works against our progress. It’s best to understand and accept our real limitations and work around them. We can modify any plan for success and ensure it’s the best plan for us going forward.

We all have personal expressions for what works best for us. There are some situations we do well in and others that are more difficult for us. We can all grow and learn and change but every personality is different. For example, perhaps we work great in groups but working alone is difficult for us. If we accept positions or situations where we’re forced to work alone we won’t find the success that an atmosphere of team work would bring us. We can recognize our personal expressions and build our lives in ways that bring us the most success instead of trying to push ourselves to conform to a model that doesn’t fit. We can set our priorities to maximize what works best for us to reach our highest potential. We are unique and understanding where our personal limits are will give us great confidence and certainty, and bring us success.

Today if you’ve been pushing too hard and are feeling the pain use another strategy. You don’t have to get hurt to be successful. Find the plan that works best for you. You have everything you need to succeed and there isn’t anything you can’t do. What works best for you is the best plan going forward. Choose your unique path and you’ll find great success.

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