Tag Archives: Grace

How We Get There

12 Jul

As we go through our lives we make millions of decisions and choose which way we want to go. We have goals we want to achieve and destinations to find. There are countless ways to get anywhere we want to go and do the things we want to do. We can take a paved road that has been traveled many times, we can choose our own road, or we can create a combination of the two. We can be honest as we move along or we can choose to break every rule in order to get to the end. It’s all up to us. But the choices we make along the way matter. It matters how we get there. Every choice changes us in some way. If we continually choose with honesty and integrity, those attributes will be reflected in our personalities. Conversely, if we choose to storm through, with no thought to whom we hurt along the way and only see ourselves, that too will be reflected in who we are. Every step we take changes us in some way. It’s important to make sure the steps we choose reflect who we most want to be.

Sometimes if we want something very badly we might decide to compromise our values in order to move forward. We might cheat a little, or manipulate the situation by saying things that aren’t completely true, or we might cut a corner that leaves someone out. It’s possible those tactics may move us forward more quickly but the cost will be high. Cheating may bring us a desired result but it won’t be because we earned it. Dishonesty may help us skip a few steps but the lies will follow us for the rest of our lives. And sometimes the person we push out of the way in our effort to move forward may be the only one who can open the door when we arrive at the destination. Compromising our values to achieve any goal will hurt us in the end. We know what’s best for us and there is no goal or destination worth deserting who we are to get to it.

We can choose our own paths and don’t have to take roads that have been designed by others. We don’t have to follow the norm just because it’s the way things have been done. We can create a new road and go our own way. There may be some who will tell us it can’t be done, or others who protest because what we’re doing doesn’t match their paradigm for how things should work, but we can still do it our way. Nobody knows what works for us better than we do. We can find our own way, even in the dark if we have to. We can design a new road, and still get to the goal. If we want to follow the proven path we can. But we have everything we need to create a new road. We can succeed at anything we choose. We can find our way to any destination and we can do it honestly and with grace never forgetting who we are.

Today if you’ve been trying to get to a goal but the paved road isn’t working for you, start a new path. Be honest and clear in your dealings and make every turn authentically yours. You have everything you need to succeed. Choose a road that reflects who you are. Make the journey valiant. The goal is worth your best efforts. Give your very best and you’ll get to the end with honor.

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Making it Better

23 May

Everywhere we go and with everything we do, we leave an impression that we were there.  People remember us and the things we do, we impact our surroundings in different ways, and there is no way to prevent leaving evidence of our presence behind.  We change our environment every time we are part of it.  Sometimes the marks we leave are clearly evident and sometimes they are small but they will always be there.  We have a choice therefore, to either leave behind something negative or something positive.  If we don’t care or don’t pay attention as we go through our lives, our impact may not always be the positive influence we may want it to be.  But if we tune in and remember that everything we do changes something, we can leave each situation a little better.  Even if all we do is have a positive attitude as we attend to our responsibilities we may lift those around us.  There is no way to be invisible and no matter what we do, it will make some kind of difference.  Making that difference better helps everyone around us and makes our days a little easier.

Everybody has a bad day from time to time.  Maybe we don’t feel well, or we have pressures on us that are complicating our lives, or the weather is making our day difficult, or a thousand other things.  If we let our discomfort define how we act it can make things worse.  If we’re grumpy and pass that on to others, our interactions with them may be more difficult.  If we don’t feel well and ignore those who come into our circle, we may make a negative impact on them.  Things go wrong and we all have times when we don’t feel happy or at our best.  But we don’t have to share our bad fortune with those around us.  If we need time alone to get through our situation, we should take it.  If we need rest we should make sure we get it.  And if we must interact when we aren’t at our best, we can remember the issue is ours and doesn’t need to become everyone else’s.

We can’t control what comes to us but we can control our response to it.  If something uncomfortable is going on we can display that discomfort to everyone around us, or we can choose to be positive despite it.  That doesn’t mean being dishonest with our feelings or pretending things are great when they aren’t.  It just means managing our response in ways that don’t accentuate the negative situation we’re dealing with and remembering that no matter what we’re facing we’ll get through it.  Even if what we’re going through feels like the end of the world, in time we’ll move on to something better.  If we focus on the big picture and trust ourselves we will face our challenges more confidently and positively.  If we choose to be an example of grace, patience, endurance, and peace even when we’re working out a problem, our influence on those around us will be positive and uplifting.  Everything we do will make a difference.  We can make that difference a benefit and be a blessing.

Today if you’re feeling down or angry or upset or frustrated or whatever, and not at your best, remember you can manage anything that comes to you.  You have a lot of influence over those around you.  You’re going to touch a lot of people every day.  Let that touch be kind, loving, and patient.  Your consideration will return to you over and over and everyone, including you, will be happier because of it.

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