Tag Archives: Family

What it Means

19 Jul

There are all kinds of ways to define success in life.  We all have ideas about what success means and how we manifest it in our lives.  Some believe it’s defined by money or position, or by those we know or over whom we have influence.  The outward appearances of success may involve many things but real success has little to do with what others see and more to do with how we feel.  Our personal success is intimately tied to who we really want to be and what we personally want to achieve.  Ultimately it must be defined by us and how we choose to live our lives.  No matter how we define it if we achieve what we determine is best for us we will find happiness.  The world has all kinds of ideas about how we should live and what success looks like but if want to be truly happy we must define it for ourselves.  We are always in control of our personal decisions and we may direct our lives any way we choose.  If we are true to the things we desire most and do what is needed to achieve them we will find great success.  Our personal successes will bring us great confidence and clarity as we move forward and help us define the paths we want to travel.  We know what we want most in our lives and who we want to be.  Every choice we make will either take us closer to those goals or move us in another direction.  As we move forward toward our personal success we will find great satisfaction in our journey and fulfillment going forward.

Outward success is essentially arbitrary and may be expressed in countless ways.  If we are convinced it’s merely a reflection of our monetary worth we may strive to acquire money in order to feel successful.  If we determine it’s how we are ethically and morally we may pattern our lives after the values we hold dear.  What it means is entirely up to us and has little to do with how others define it.  There may be pressure to conform to the definitions of success as determined by our social group, family or others and we may certainly follow any direction we choose.  In the end if we choose what is most important to us, despite the ideas of others, we will find happiness.

We must live with ourselves and our decisions every day.  If we choose to go along with others for the sake of convenience or conformity we may get the goals we want most or we may not.  When others are driving the train and we’re merely passengers we have no control over where we’re headed.  However, if we proactively direct our lives and make choices with our personal goals in mind we will reach the destinations we want most.  We deserve every happiness and reaching for our personal successes will bring it to us.

Today if you’ve been following someone else’s idea of what you need to do to be successful, decide what you want most.  Determine where you want to go and who you want to be.  You will reach every destination you desire and find great personal success.  There isn’t anything you can’t do.  Go forward with confidence.  It’s all there for you.

 

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Genuine Article

20 Apr

There are a lot of influences on us every day.  Some people inspire us to do good things and be our best, and others can pull us away from what we really want to do.  Every decision we make takes us somewhere and brings some sort of response.  If they take us where we want to go and bring positive growth we continue to move forward.  But sometimes they stall us in our tracks and even bring sorrow and problems into our lives.  We all know who we are and what we want.  If we focus on being genuine in our decisions, looking at them clearly and without bias, and staying true to who we really want to be, we have a better shot at making the best decisions possible at every turn.  But the influences around us can be strong and have a powerful pull even when they are pulling us in the wrong direction.  We can get confused and take a wrong turn if we aren’t careful.  There are a lot of roads in life and we direct our path through the choices we make.  If we pay attention, and stay focused on our goals, we can continue to move forward.  And each step forward takes us closer to where we really want to be.

The people closest to us may exercise a lot of power over us.  Friends and family may want us to do something or be some way we don’t want to choose.  If we are very close to them and love them, their opinions may mean a lot.  And if what we want is different than what they think we should have, problems may arise.  Because we care about them and want to prevent conflict and preserve good feelings, we may choose to go along.  And if we do, we may be able to wing it for a time, but eventually who we really are and what we really want will surface again.  We can continue to play along but true happiness comes when we are genuine and honest with ourselves and those around us.  If we disagree with something we can choose to decline.  There may be tension at the beginning but if we stay true to our course, and they love us, eventually they will respect our choices.

There is sometimes great pressure to conform and be like others.  Nobody really wants to live in a cookie cutter world, but there are times when it seems easier to get along if everyone agrees to the same models.  No two people are exactly the same and each of us has a unique perspective to offer.  Although it might be easier if we were all the same, the only way to make that happen is to discount our uniqueness.  This world is a big, diverse place.  Each of us has something to offer but we can’t offer it if we are busy trying to fit someone else’s mold.  If we are genuine and honest about ourselves, and with those around us, we might not look the same, but our unique influence will bring unexpected blessings and enhance our experiences.  We are perfect being ourselves.  We can be confident enough to express that and find joy in being one of a kind.

Today if you don’t feel you’re doing things your way, you can change.  Your presence is a gift to the world, and we all need to know you just as you are.   Be confident in expressing your individuality.  You bring a perspective that is uniquely yours.  Be genuinely you and you’ll leave a perfect impression everywhere you go.

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Do you feel that?

21 Apr

There are currently over seven billion people in the world. Seven billion – that’s an enormous number. It’s hard to grasp a number that big but that’s where we are. Over seven billion of us sharing time and space on one planet. It’s impossible to see all the people, meet them all, get to know them, and learn about them. There are just too many of us and the world is very big. If you started traveling today, and traveled every single day of your life from here forward, you could still never get to every place there is to go.

Our lives encircle a very small percentage of the world population. We have friends, and family, work associates, professional contacts, and the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. And even with our smaller group it’s sometimes hard to realize that we are all connected in some way. The human race is an amazing thing. So many differences, yet so many similarities. We all need food, shelter, air, companionship, and generally we all want love, support, kindness, and caring. There really isn’t that much difference between us despite the geographic boundaries and cultural norms.

I began to realize how much more connected we are than I had thought some time ago when an acquaintance died unexpectedly. I didn’t know him that well, but I found myself grieving and sad. My friends who were close to him were heartbroken, and that made me feel even sadder. I wanted to comfort them, I wanted to comfort his family whom I had never met, and I wanted to help them all. I really didn’t know these people, and I wondered at my concern for them. Why do we have this empathy, this ability to share one another’s feelings? As I thought about it, I remembered other times in my life when people had been sad, or happy, joyous or desperate, and I realized that during those times I, too, felt those emotions with them. Why would I feel so much for situations in which I was not involved? Because the people around me, these other human beings, are part of me. In essence, we’re all really part of the same family.

Think about your life. Haven’t there been times when you were going through something difficult, and a stranger said something to cheer you up? Do you remember times when you saw someone else struggling, someone you didn’t know, and felt like you wanted to help? What about all of those examples of families, towns, churches, and cities that have gone through terrible disasters, and people from all over the country came to their aide. It happens all the time. Why do we do this? We don’t know those people? Why do we care?

We care because our connections to one another are far deeper than we realize. There is a constancy between us all, like a silent, ongoing hum that never leaves us, that is always there, that we don’t hear, but continually feel. That’s how we are as people. We are connected. We laugh when others laugh, we cry when others cry, we rejoice when others rejoice, and we grieve when others grieve. It was meant to be this way. It’s the way it has to be. We need each other. We need to know that we matter, and we need to let others know that they matter too.

Today as you go about your details, your busy life, your responsibilities, your errands, your commitments, and everything else you have to do, think about your connection to those around you. Listen for that familiar hum – that silent link that never leaves you. Listen. You’ll hear it, not with your ears, but with your heart. And if you see someone laughing, join them. If you see someone crying, comfort them. Everyone around you is your brother and sister. Keep your family strong. They need you and you need them. Today make it a point to remember that.

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