Tag Archives: Action

Stumbling

11 Dec

Life is busy and there are always complications and unforeseen developments. Things rarely go exactly as planned or expected. Most of the time we are able to bend with the tide and continue forward but sometimes something may trip us up and we may stumble or even fall down. Perhaps someone makes a decision we never dreamed of and it throws us for a loop, or a development happens that suddenly alters the road moving forward. When everything changes and we trip trying to find our footing it sometimes takes a while to figure out what to do next. Everything may look different and we may be unsure which way to turn. If we are determined to hold onto our previous plan and refuse to adjust to the changes before us, we may get stuck and unable to move. There is no way to travel a road that no longer exists. Demanding that everything return to the way it was will not help us. Life is all about change and sometimes that means we have to change with it and rethink the way ahead. There is always more than one road to any destination we desire. We can look at all the options before us and consider new ideas that will help us reach the goal we seek. It’s frustrating to have to stop and regroup when we’re focused on the road ahead, but if we keep our eyes open, we’ll see new possibilities that can take us where we want to go. We can learn about new roads and find our way forward. Everything we want to do is there for us. We can adjust our thinking and continue on.

We don’t know what we don’t know, and even if we’ve planned well there will always be unknown influences we have no control over. If we hit a snag and can’t get through, we can find our way around it. We might stumble trying to see the road but stumbling isn’t a full stop. It’s a chance to stand still for a moment and re-assess where to go next. We can try something new and step on a different road to get to the goal. We are certainly capable of changing our focus and learning new ways to accomplish anything. We can be confident, even if everything changes, that we’ll find our way.

When dancers practice for a performance they don’t always perform every action perfectly. If they miss a step, they go over it again and again until they master it and learn to make it work. It’s the same for our personal lives. If something trips us up, we can try different ideas until we find the one that works and moves us forward. We can make the stumble part of the dance and continue on. Every dream we desire is possible if we continue forward and do what is needed to make it come true. We can have the lives we want the most by deciding we will succeed, no matter what comes.

Today if your way forward has been upended and you aren’t sure what to do next, take a look around. There are endless possibilities before you and you will find your way. Everything you desire is in your power. Start again and press forward. All your dreams are only steps away. You have everything you need to reach them and make them come true.

Tags: , ,

The Boomerang Effect

4 Jun

Isaac Newton’s third law of physics says that for every action, there is an equal or opposite reaction. Since we are part of the physical world, this applies to us. Whatever we send out, will return back an equal or opposite response. We act, and then others react in some way. Often people return back to us the same sort of behaviors we give to them. Sometimes we get an opposite return, but often our actions are mirrored in others’ responses to us. No matter which way it goes, we will get a reaction of some sort. The question is – will it be the reaction we were hoping for?

Not only do others react to what we do, but we react to our own actions as well. For instance, say we don’t sleep well and when it’s time to get up, we feel tired and cranky. We don’t put our best foot forward during the day because we feel off. We are short with those around us, and don’t go out of our way to be helpful. We keep to ourselves, and mope. At the end of the day will we feel happier or more out of sorts because of these choices? What reaction will we have to our own actions?

And the same is true in our relationships with others. If we treat them with care and concern, chances are the returning reactions will be positive. However, if we neglect them or abuse them, the response will probably be much different. If we are rude and mean to those we encounter, they may respond the same way back to us. But if we are polite and gracious, the very same people will often react more positively. Everything we do, everything we say, elicits a response. When those responses bounce back to us, how will they look? A lot depends on what we sent out to begin with.

Newton was clear – for every action there will be an equal or opposite reaction. Today if you’re not getting the reactions you want, before you start analyzing why people aren’t responding the way you had hoped, first look at your initial actions. Do you need to modify them to get the response you want in return? If you’re getting the opposite of what you want, it may be time to change what you’re sending out. It may be time to revise your behavior. Like in volleyball, before you send the ball over, you want to make sure your serve will get the best bounce back. Otherwise, you might get a spike you weren’t planning on. And nobody wants that.

Tags: , ,