Tag: Change

Focus on the Good in Life

I have told you of the man who always put on his spectacles when about to eat cherries, in order that the fruit might look larger and more tempting.  In like manner I always make the most of my enjoyments, and, though I do not cast my eyes away from troubles, I pack them into as small a compass as I can for myself, and never let them annoy others.

~ Robert Southey

        Finding happiness in this life largely boils down to how you approach the daily ins and outs that we all face.  If you choose to treat every problem, obstacle and roadblock you encounter with a pessimistic attitude while always expecting the worse – you will find yourself living quite a bleak, joyless life with nothing to look forward to but more despair and heartache.  But, if you instead choose to approach all facets of life with a can-do attitude grounded in the ideal that no matter what cards you’re dealt, you will strive to play the best hand you can and make the most out of every minute of every day – you will begin to feel joy in the simple act of living.

Spread Your Wings & Soar

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

– Henry Ford

      Sometimes it seems that you can’t catch a break.  Everyone and everything is against you. . .you find yourself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.  It is at these moments that you need to take time to remember that to experience some of the most beautiful things in life, you have to fight an uphill battle.  I mean, one of our greatest achievement – flight – occurs in spite of having all the cards stacked against it.  Never forget that even a plane has to battle against mother nature to achieve unimaginable heights.  And just like a plane, you too must first battle the winds before you can soar.

Leave the City of Your Comfort

“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”

~Alan Alda

          In this life, we often get comfortable and complacent.  We begin to fear change.  But when you get to this place, you need to push yourself to go beyond your comfort zone.  Because when you “leave the city of your comfort,” you truly begin to discover the amazing treasures this world has to offer – the greatest one being a deeper understanding of who you are.

Take Control of Your Life

“Good things come to those who wait… greater things come to those who get off their ass and do anything to make it happen.”

– Unknown

       If you are unhappy with any aspect of your life, don’t sit around waiting for things to get better or worse.  Get off your butt and do something.   And yes, there is always something you can do.  You want that nice vacation, then figure out how much it will cost and how much you can afford to put away from each check – even if it takes you two years to save up for that trip, it’s worth it.  It’s about not sitting around waiting for the problem to solve itself or for the situation to magically change.  That’s not how life works.  To have anything worth something, you have to bust your butt for it and go after it yourself.  It’s not easy and there may be a lot of doors closed in your face or several no’s before you get that one yes, but that’s just a part of life.   So, get up and go after the life you crave – no more excuses!

Emerging from the Storm

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person that walked in.  That’s what the storm is all about.”

-Haruki Murakami

          We each have our own storms that we must endure throughout life and as we emerge out of the darkness, we are irrevocably changed.  It is an undeniable fact that the person who walks into a storm will not be the same person who emerges on the other side.  We cannot help but to be shaped by our experiences and by the scrapes, bruises and scars that cover our soul – our very essence.  Now, whether this change is for the better or worse is for you to decide.

          As you’re standing on the shore watching the storm clouds recede, you have a choice to make.  You can choose to let the storm break you and become a shell of your former self.  OR, you can CHOOSE to fight to put the pieces of your life back together and become stronger in preparation of the next storm that lurks behind the horizon.  Okay, I get that this is much easier said than done. . .especially, when you are in the midst of your storm and can see no way out.  But, it doesn’t change the fact that it is still a choice how you deal with the curve balls life throws you.  You can roll over and wallow in your own self-pity or you can decide that your life is worth fighting for – no matter how hard or long that fight lasts.

The. Choice. Is. Yours.