Potential Greatness

12 Jul

Everyone is different. We all have our share of problems, talents, gifts, and drawbacks. Nobody gets all the good stuff or all the bad stuff. Everyone has a combination of things that make them feel confident, and things that try their patience. And every day we all have the potential for greatness. Not greatness in the worldly sense, like becoming President or world leaders, but greatness in the human sense. We can be great assets to those around us, great examples for good, and great inspirations to everyone we come in contact with. The potential is there, but potential does not guarantee we’ll gain those qualities. Potential is unrealized expectation. We have the ability to become great but we have to realize it, and we have to express it.

It’s easy to skate through life. We can do just enough to get by, we can be just nice enough to get what we want, and we can share just enough of ourselves that we are accepted. It takes effort to do more. We are all certainly capable of more, but that requires time, and it requires attention. Instead of choosing to do just enough to get by, if we want to be great, we need to choose to do the best we can all the time. Instead of being just nice enough to get what we want, we must choose to extend ourselves for others, and help whenever help is needed. And instead of sharing just enough to be accepted, we have to be fully engaged, fully participating, and actively involved.

Mediocrity is easy. We don’t have to do much, or give much. It’s easy to blend in. But it’s not as rewarding or fulfilling as pushing ourselves to be the best we can be. When we push for greatness we learn to feel things more deeply, and we become a higher version of ourselves. We can always be more than we are. We can be more sensitive, more understanding, more compassionate, and more human. If everyone tried to be the best they could be, the world would become a far different place. There would be more love and less conflict, more sharing and less greed, more caring and less indifference. It would be a better place, and we can do our part to make that happen.

Today as you go about your life, as you take care of your details, as you interact with others, remember you have the potential for greatness within you. It’s already there waiting to be expressed. Today do something more to extend that to those around you. Use your potential to the fullest. You have the power to change the world. Today think about how you could change it for good.

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Light

11 Jul

There are so many people in and out of our lives all the time. We have family, friends, acquaintances, and people we meet in passing. Every time we interact with them we have the chance to be a light in their lives. We have the chance to lift their hearts, make them feel valued, and show we care. There is a lot of darkness in this world. Crime, death, disasters, wars – we hear, and read about them constantly. But there is light as well. And we can be part of that if we so choose.

It’s sometimes hard to feel like we fit in, and sometimes we may feel alone. It seems we are more isolated today than in years past. All the technology makes it easy to communicate without spending time with others. Instead of a phone call on our birthday, we may get an email message. It’s nice to be remembered but without the personal interaction, it doesn’t mean as much. More and more we have lost the need to meet and talk in person, to call and chat, or to spend social time with our friends and family. As a result, we are more separate and apart, and that can make us feel alone and lonely, even surrounded by others.

When people feel left out, or lonely, it’s hard for them to be happy. They can feel forgotten by others, and sad. We have the opportunity every day to be a light to those around us. We can lift them by just showing that we care. We can show we are aware of them by saying hello when we pass them. We can support them by stopping for a moment to ask how they’re doing, and really listen when they talk to us. We can call those we haven’t seen in a while just to say hello, and remind them that we are thinking about them. And we can plan to spend more time together with those we’re close to so they remember we love them. We can share a smile with everyone we meet, and we can extend the hand of friendship. This world can be a lonely place, and it can be dark, and sad. If we care, we can lift others, and bring a smile. We can be the ones to bring the light.

Today try to extend yourself to someone around you. Say hello, have a short conversation, ask how they are, and let them know you are aware of them, and that you care. Tomorrow do it again with someone new. Share your light with others who may feel alone. If you light one candle with another, you have two flames without diminishing the first. The world needs all the light it can find. You have enough to share. Be the one to share your light today.

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Because I Can

10 Jul

We can do anything we want to in this life. We can make good decisions, and bad decisions. We can be wise, and we can be foolish. There is no limit to what we can do if we want to. Perhaps when someone has done something you didn’t understand you’ve asked them why, and their answer was, “Because I can.” Well, we ‘can’ do anything. But the big question really isn’t can we do it, but should we do it. Just because we can do something isn’t always enough reason to justify actually doing it.

Mistakes in judgment are part of the human experience. We all make them. Unfortunately we don’t have a personal manual to read every day to alert us when our judgment isn’t quite on target. We make decisions where we are, and we learn as we go. Even when we try to be wise, we may falter. But we will falter more often if we go plowing through things not thinking at all. If we just follow our noses around, and make decisions because we can, we may find ourselves in situations that aren’t exactly where we want to be.

Having the ability to do something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best choice for us. For instance, a Maserati is a very nice car, and we may find a dealer who will gladly sell us one even if we can’t afford it. We could buy it, and be the envy of our friends. But if we do, we may not have money for our essentials as we struggle to pay it off. But we could do it. However, if we can’t afford it, the purchase will likely bring us hardship. There are countless examples of things we could do just because we can. But that doesn’t guarantee the choice will bring us what we want.

It’s best to remember that even though we can do whatever we want, we need to take some time to evaluate the choices we are considering. There are two sides to every coin. It’s wise to look at them both before choosing the side we want. We need to ensure that our decisions are not just what we could do, but also what we should do so we can be successful going forward, and don’t create unnecessary stress.

Today before you jump on a decision just because you can, take a moment to reflect on whether or not it’s a move you should make going forward. You can do anything you want, but it’s wise to make sure your choices bring you happiness, and not hardship. Think about your decisions. Look at both sides of the coin, and then choose. You’ll be wiser if you do, and happier with the results. And happiness is the best thing you can give yourself today.

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Hit It Again

9 Jul

Have you ever had a time in your life when you were trying to make something work that just would not? Have you ever tried, and tried to push something through, something you were so sure would work, but it just wouldn’t go? Sometimes despite everything we believe, everything we do, and everything we try, sometimes things just don’t work out. It isn’t a question of intellect. It isn’t a question of determination. It’s a question of fit.

This life is filled with twists and turns, ideas, plans, and changes. We can attempt to do anything we want to. Sometimes we get an idea that seems good, but when we put it into action it just doesn’t work out. I have a friend who always wanted to live in a certain state. He was sure he would be happy there, he had read about it, thought about it, and made what he believed was a good decision to move there. But once he arrived, nothing worked out. He was stunned to learn upon arrival that because of changes in the economy, the job he had lined up had been eliminated. Although disappointed, he wasn’t too worried thinking he could find something else quickly. He had some savings, and decided to remain. However, with no income, he had to choose an apartment in a difficult location, but thinking it was only temporary he decided he could deal with that. Despite his extensive education and experience he wasn’t able to find a position right away. He got a couple of part time jobs, but they weren’t enough, and he watched as his savings dwindled to nothing. Still, he was determined to live there so he pressed forward. He pushed and pushed, trying so hard to make the decision fit, but nothing worked. After a couple of awful years, he decided he didn’t want to continue, and began looking for positions in other locations. He got an offer for a terrific job in a different state, and moved. He was disappointed with how things turned out but sometimes no matter how we plan ahead, no matter how sure we are, sometimes the plan fails. Sometimes it’s just not the right fit for us.

When this happens, it’s like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. We push it, we hammer it, we think if we just hit it again it’ll work, but it just doesn’t fit. We need to regroup, realign, and find a square hole, which might be right next to the round one we’ve been working so hard on. Life is unpredictable. We try to make good decisions, and often we do. But sometimes we don’t know the whole story until after the decision is made. And when we finally get the whole story, we realize the decision won’t work. We can feel like failures when that happens. Why didn’t we see it? Why didn’t we know? But we haven’t really failed. We just got more information that clarified the situation for us. It may be painful, but getting the information is the most important part. And once we have it, we can start over. We can adjust the plan, and begin again.

Today if you feel you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nothing is working, look at the whole picture. Are you trying to make something work that doesn’t fit you? If you are, change your direction. What do you need to do to find your place? How can you adjust things so you are happy again? Take some time to think about it, and then, make the change. Be confident. You’ll figure this out, and you’ll fix it. You deserve to be happy, and feel like your life fits. Today do what’s needed to make that happen.

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Dream Dream Dream

8 Jul

We all have dreams of things we want to do, places we want to see, and goals we want to accomplish. Sometimes they are big dreams, like opening our own business, and sometimes they are small, like riding on a train. We’re all different, and so are our dreams. Big or small, if we haven’t realized them yet, we think about them from time to time. They wait for us to remember them, and make them come true.

The realities of our lives don’t always allow us to realize our dreams when we want to. Sometimes we don’t have the finances we need, sometimes we aren’t in the right place, and sometimes, we’re just too busy. Life can get complicated and crazy, and we can be overcome with work, family responsibilities, or projects we’re doing. Time gets away from us. We can get so caught up in what we need to do, and what has to be done, that we may forget about the dreams we have outside of the chaos. But then we take a break, we sit down and let our minds drift, and there they are – those things we always said we would do. Those things we really want to do. They’re still there, waiting patiently for us to revisit them. Waiting for us to start.

When we’re ready, we can make a plan to achieve whatever we’ve been dreaming of. We can choose what we really want to do first, and start taking steps to make it to happen. Say we want to travel the world. Instead of having the undefined idea of “the world,” we could begin by picking the first place we would like to visit. Then we could figure out what it would take to get there in resources, and time. And then we could set a date to go. Once we have a plan in place, we can make adjustments if needed, but if we stick to it, we will accomplish our goal, and make that dream a reality.

Dreaming is great. We wonder about things, we imagine how they will go, and it’s exciting to think about them. But at some point we have to decide if we really want to do them or not. If we’ve changed, and really don’t care about a dream we’ve had, we can let it go. But if we really still want it, and it won’t go away, there is no better time than now to begin planning for it.

Today if you’re thinking about something you’ve always wanted to do, take the first step toward making it happen. Do something – research the parameters, make some calls, get information, and begin moving forward. You deserve to have all your dreams come true. But life won’t give them to you. Only you can make them happen. Start now. Set the date. Get ready, and before you know it, you’ll be there. They say that when we’re dying it’s not the things we’ve done that we regret, but the things we didn’t do. Let’s do everything we want to do instead of just dream about them. It’s great to dream. But living the dream is even better. Let’s live all the dreams we can. Today is the best time to start.

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