Lottery

16 Jan

There are a lot of things we may wish for – to win the lottery, to be taller, more attractive, more successful, and dozens of others. We can buy a ticket and try to win the lottery but the odds are heavily stacked against us. We can go to bed at night and hope we’ll wake up taller, more attractive, richer, happier, and anything else we’re wishing for, but the odds of those things happening overnight are even worse. We can wish for anything we want, but wishes are just hopes and desires for things to happen. They have nothing to do with what is needed to actually make them a reality. If we really want something in our lives, the first thing we must do is determine if it’s possible to achieve. Unless we’re still growing, it’s unlikely we’ll get any taller. But most things are achievable. We can stop wishing and turn our wishes into goals. Then we can set up steps to achieve those goals and if we really want to, we can change our lives.

Sometimes we say we want to change something, but when it comes to doing what is needed to facilitate the change, we might decide it’s not worth it. Change always brings with it the need to adjust. The level of adjustment is often directly related to the level of change. If we change our hair color, the adjustment is relatively easy. If we move to another city, the adjustment is more difficult. But if we want change in our lives, we can make it happen. We have the power to change almost anything we’re currently experiencing. If we want to be thinner, we can change our eating habits and get more exercise. If we want to make more money, we can expand our education or look for better job opportunities. If we want to be happier, we can change the things in our lives that are preventing us from feeling better. We can become more successful, and we can be happier. We can move forward by objectively determining what is needed to make the desired change a reality. We are in control of our lives and can make them any way we want.

Sometimes there are things we can’t change right now and must work around. For instance, if we have a responsibility or a job we don’t like but haven’t yet been able to modify the situation or find something new. When that happens, we can be patient and understand our current situation, and work our lives around it so that we can be comfortable until it changes. Nothing is permanent in this life and whatever we’re going through today will eventually change. If we keep our focus looking forward and do our best to find joy even when we aren’t exactly where we want to be, we can navigate our time more easily. Every day is a gift and no matter what we’re doing there are opportunities for growth and happiness. Identifying those opportunities and making the most of them will help us gain as much as possible until we are able to move forward.

Today if you’re wishing your life was different, if you want something more, make a plan to achieve it. There isn’t anything you can’t do. Work around your current situation and prepare for the future you want. You can go anywhere you want to go taking one step at a time. Take the first step today. You’ll be there before you know it.

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Expectations

14 Jan

We all have expectations about our lives. We set goals, work toward them and expect to succeed. Every time we do something we expect a certain result. Sometimes those expectations are realized exactly as we planned, and sometimes they go another way. We can have great expectations about what we want from others, and if we are able to effectively communicate them, and those involved are willing to comply, we may get exactly what we’re hoping for. But again, sometimes things go another way. If our expectations are too high we may be disappointed, and if they are too low we may not get the results we were hoping for. We need to find the balance between what we want to happen and how we’ll get there. If we think about that and plan accordingly we might have a better chance of getting where we want to be. But finding the right balance isn’t always as easy as it sounds. And when we miss the mark we often miss the goal as well.

If we want others to work with us and make plans that include responsibilities above what they can or want to provide we will not find success. Perhaps we’ve been in situations where what we’ve been expected to provide is more than we could accomplish. It’s an uncomfortable situation and even if we know going in that it’s impossible for us to accomplish, we may try anyway. But expectations are just a belief that something will or should happen. They are a plan for the future. We are living today and there is no way to predict what will come. We can plan and make decisions about what we want, but realizing those plans and decisions depends on a lot of factors. If we aren’t careful when we set our expectations, we may fail.

How can we find a happy medium, the place where our expectations stretch us but don’t prevent us from success? If our goal involves a big change it won’t happen overnight. Rome wasn’t built in a day and we probably won’t make big changes in one either. To be successful we can make many smaller goals that one by one will lead us to the final achievement. And we must be prepared for all the complications that undoubtedly will arise along the way. But if we take the time to objectively look at where we are, where we want to be, and what we need to do to get there, and then set intermediate goals along the way, we will succeed. We need to consider everything in our lives, all the time pressures, our financial limitations, our responsibilities, and then make a plan that is both workable and adaptable. When we want something we sometimes want it right away but life doesn’t work that way. There isn’t anything we can’t do if we want to badly enough. But expecting any change requires planning. Setting up realistic expectations is the first step. Once we begin we can plan each step as we go forward and if we’re consistent and diligent, keeping our eyes on the prize, we will reach the goal.

Today if you’re deciding on a change, and making expectations for how it will come about, plan carefully. Consider the entire picture and then determine how you’ll go forward. You can succeed at anything you want to do. Take it one step at a time, adjust your path as needed and move forward. The goal is attainable and you will reach it. You have everything you need to get anywhere you want to go. Start today. Expect the best and then plan for it.

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I Wish

13 Jan

We have so many decisions to make in our lives.  They come at us from all directions at all times and in all ways.  There are the simple ones we make without even thinking about them and then there are the ones that leave us tremulous and worried.  We all want to make good decisions, and mostly we do, but sometimes because we don’t have all the information, or someone has deceived us, or things change unexpectedly, the decisions we make end up badly.  When that happens we may have regrets and wish things had gone differently.  Unfortunately it’s impossible to know everything or what’s coming.  We have to choose from where we are and see things as they seem at that moment.  When we look back and regret a choice we made and wish things had gone differently, we must remember that we may not have known then what we know now.  It’s hard when things go south and we get hurt because of a choice we’ve made, but nothing is certain in this life and sometimes we don’t have all the facts available to us.  No matter what’s happened, we can only go forward from where we are.  Learning from the past will help us choose more wisely the next time, but the decisions that have been made will remain forever.

We all have some regrets.  It’s impossible to live our lives perfectly and make the absolute correct decision every single time.  Sometimes things will go wrong.  And sometimes it’ll be because of something we chose.  Nobody makes decisions that bring them pain and heartache on purpose.  We do the best we can where we are.  If we take the time to see the whole picture, and ponder the ramifications of our decisions we have a better chance of things going well.  When they go well, we often don’t even think twice and just proceed on with our lives.  But when there’s a sudden stop, when something we’ve decided causes problems, our attention is clearly focused on the situation.  We may question our decision, we may regret our choice, and we may obsess over what we think we should have done, but nothing can change what’s happened.  The best we can do is move forward and amend the situation the best we can.

If our decisions are highly influenced by those around us, we may be heavily impacted.  We may doubt our ability to make good decisions without their input and if we get bad advice, we may choose a path that doesn’t work.  But we don’t need to rely on others to make good choices.  We have everything we need inside ourselves to choose well.  We can look at any situation objectively, weigh our options and if we want advice we can ask for it, but in the end we can make the best decision ourselves.  Wishing and hoping for things to go well will not ensure a good outcome.  Only by taking the time we need to evaluate the situation and see all the possible outcomes can we make the best choices possible.  Then if things go wrong we will be confident that we did the best we could.  And that confidence will carry us through until the situation improves.

Today if you’re concerned about a decision you’ve made, if you have some regret over the choice involved, remember you made the decision with all the facts you had at the time.  If things don’t go as planned, you can adjust your focus and alter your plans going forward.  Setbacks teach us how to go forward.  Be confident.  You are capable of making excellent decisions and you can choose wisely.

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Circles

12 Jan

As we live our lives we have three choices when we think about our progress. We can move forward, we can stay where we are, or we can go backward. Sometimes we’re happy where we are and comfortable, and we don’t need or want the challenge of change. Sometimes we have to go backward to accomplish something that needs to be addressed. But generally we want to move forward in our lives. We have goals we want to achieve and plans for our future. Sometimes we get caught up in a situation that stalls our progress. We can get stuck and end up going around in circles unable to move forward. Sometimes it’s because of a relationship that isn’t working, or a job situation that has us frozen in time, and sometimes it’s because we really aren’t sure how to go forward so we keep repeating the same pattern over and over. Going around in circles is frustrating. Even when we recognize that’s what’s happening we may not know how to stop the process. A circle is just a continually repeating pattern. All we have to do to break the cycle is step a little to the right or the left to change direction. It sounds easy but patterns have a way of taking control, and unless we are determined to make a change, we may find ourselves stuck for a while.

Healthy relationships are active. They are constantly changing and if we’re paying attention to them, can be continually improving. But sometimes relationships can become stagnant, and don’t change, and we may get stuck. If it’s a relationship that’s important to us we may stay in the situation longer than we’re comfortable. However, if we want things to change, we have to speak up and express our concerns. We can ask for what we need to make the relationship move forward and if the other person is in agreement, things may improve. But if we can’t do anything to change the situation we must decide how we want to proceed. For some people, staying on the same course is fine, even if they’re stuck, so long as they have the other person in their lives. For others, if they’re unhappy and things don’t change, it may be necessary to leave the relationship behind. We’re all different and only we can determine what’s best for us.

If we have plans for our future and goals we’re working toward but find that we aren’t getting any closer to them doing what we’ve been doing, we can change. If the road we’ve been on isn’t taking us where we want to go, we can change direction. We can achieve almost anything we want to if we want it badly enough. If we aren’t moving closer to our goal then we’re either moving further away from it, or we’re standing still. Once we determine where we’re headed and what we want, we can adjust our plans and change our course whenever we need to. All the roads are open to us. All the avenues to get there are available. We can pay attention to what we’re doing and modify our plans for success. If one path doesn’t work, we can simply try another. If we stay true to the objective and keep our eyes on the prize, we’ll get there. We don’t have to go around in circles, and we don’t have to be stuck any longer than we want. We have all the power we need to move forward.

Today if you feel like you’ve been treading water and going in circles and you’re no closer to a goal you want to achieve, switch things up. Try something new. Let go of the things that are holding you back and modify your plans so you can move forward. You can do anything. See the destination in front of you and steer yourself toward it. You’ll be successful and everything you are hoping for will come to you.

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Despite It All

11 Jan

There are times in everyone’s life when things don’t work out. Sometimes it seems like, for reasons we can’t fathom, everything goes wrong.  Everything we try fails, every idea is wrong, and every attempt to fix the situation falls flat. At times like those it can feel like the planets have aligned against us, the stars are raining down on us, and a black cloud is following us everywhere we go. Of course, we are overstating the situation, but when we feel beset and overwhelmed, when we’re trying hard and nothing goes the way we want it to, it can feel that way. We can believe that it’s our fault, and although we know it’s a temporary situation, we may think we’ll never be right again. But everything in this life is fluid and ever changing. What we’re going through today will certainly change in some way tomorrow, maybe not the way we’re hoping it will, but it will be different. The old saying that there is a light at the end of the tunnel has a caveat – it might be an on-coming train! And that’s just how things go sometimes.  We can be in uncomfortable situations that unfortunately get worse before they get better.  But even if that happens, things will change at some point and we can begin again.

How are we supposed to manage when we feel like everything is off its axis and we’re walking around on an off kilter syncopated path that keeps twisting and mixing things up? We have choices regarding how we’ll handle the calamities that befall us all. We can hole up in our rooms, lie in bed, and pull the covers over our heads until things improve. We can get angry and snap at everyone around us because we’re unhappy, or we can try something more positive.  No matter what we’re going through we can choose how we’ll navigate it.  We can endure the trial miserably or we can see it for what it is – just a bump in the road – and face it with optimism. No trip is without problems, and no journey is without struggle. But there isn’t a problem or journey that lasts forever, so whatever disappointments we face will resolve in time. How much time that takes is different for every situation but no matter how long it takes, we have the power to manage it, and manage it well.

A bump in the road is a transient situation. Sometimes there are big potholes we have to drive around, and sometimes we don’t see them in time and our tires get stuck in them. They are annoying, and can hang us up, but they aren’t the end of the road. They aren’t our destination. They are just a complication along the way. We can navigate them and if we get stuck we can figure out how to get out again. We are resourceful and wise. There really isn’t anything we can’t manage if we give ourselves time to figure things out. If we remember that when our lives take a nose dive and we feel overwhelmed, we can put everything into the proper perspective. Nothing is forever but death, and we aren’t dead yet. So this will pass. We are more capable than we realize and we will, despite everything that’s going wrong, prevail. There isn’t a bump big enough to stop us from going forward and finding success.

Today if everything is going wrong and you feel like giving up, remember this is a temporary situation. It’s not permanent and it’s not too big for you to handle. No matter what comes you can manage it and find your way to happiness again. You have everything you need to succeed. This is just a moment. There are wonderful things just ahead.

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