Tag: Life’s Journey

Try, Try, and Try Again

Explore. Dream. Discover!

― H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

        I’m so tired of hearing people say – “Oh, that’s too hard.” “Why bother, the likelihood of success is so small.” “You know it’s not going to work out, so why are you doing this again?”  So often in life, we give up without even trying because we automatically assume that we won’t succeed.  But, as I was telling someone the other day when they mentioned that it’s difficult to get a book published. . .I’m like, “I know, but I’m going to try anyway and at least I can say I gave it my best effort and then I can move forward to the next thing.”  For every experience you go through in life, you learn, you grow and evolve.  I firmly believe that years from now when my expiration date gets closer, I will not regret any of the chances I took, but only regret the chances I was too afraid to take – the times where I gave up the fight before even entering the ring.  So, the moral of the story is to try, try, and try again – especially when you think you won’t succeed.  For one day, you may regret never being brave enough to lose sight of the shore.

Out of the Darkness

“A ship doesn’t sink because it is in the ocean in the midst of a storm. It only sinks when the hull is breached, and the ocean gets inside it.”

― Arthur Jackson Jr., Out of the Darkness

        The storms we encounter throughout life do not in and of themselves destroy us.  It is when we allow the rains and heavy winds to seep inside our very soul that our spirits take a beating.  Never forget that we may not be able to choose what storms we face in life, but we do control whether we allow ourselves to succumb to the darkness.

Take Accountability for Your Life

Relinquish Excuses

― Alaric Hutchinson, Living Peace

“Isn’t it funny how we make rational excuses for being out of alignment?

We say, “Well, this ____ and that ____ happened, so it makes perfect sense for me to be feeling like this ____ and wanting to do this ____.”

Yet, to this day, I have never met a happy person who adheres to those excuses. In fact, each time I – or anyone else – decide to give in to “rational excuses” that justify feeling bad – it’s interesting that only further suffering is the result.

There is never a good enough reason for us to be out of alignment with peace. Sure, we can go there and make choices that dim our lights… and that is fine; there certainly is purpose for it and the contrast gives us lessons to learn… yet if we’re aware of what we are doing and we’re ready to let go of the suffering – then why go there at all? It’s like beating a dead horse. Been there, done that… so why do we keep repeating it?

Pain is going to happen; it’s inevitable in this human experience, yet it is often so brief. When we make those excuses, what happens is: we pick up that pain and begin to carry it with us into the next day… and the next day… into next week… maybe next month… and some of us even carry it for years or to our graves!

Forgive, let it go! It is NOT worth it! It is NEVER worth it. There is never a good enough reason for us to pick up that pain and carry it with us. There is never a good enough reason for us to be out of alignment with peace. Unforgiveness hurts you; it hurts others, so why even go there? Why even promote pain? Why say painful things to yourself or others? Why think pain? Just let it go!

Whenever I look back on painful things or feel pain today, I know it is my EGO that drives me to “go there.” The EGO likes to have the last word, it likes to feel superior, it likes to make others feel less than in hopes that it will make itself (me) feel better about my insecurities. Maybe if I hurt them enough, they will feel the pain I felt over what they did to me. It’s only fair! It’s never my fault; it’s always someone else’s. There is a twisted sense of pleasure I get from feeling this way, and my EGO eats it right up. YET! With awareness that continues to grow and expand each day, I choose to not feed my pain (EGO) or even go there. I still feel it at times, of course, so I simply acknowledge it and then release it.

I HAVE power and choice over my speech and actions. I do not need to ever “go there” again. It’s my choice; it’s your choice. So it’s about damn time we start realizing this. We are not victims of our impulses or emotions; we have the power to control them, and so it’s time to stop acting like we don’t. It’s time to relinquish the excuses.”

          We are all guilty of making excuses for our actions, behavior and words.  I’m willing to admit that I am guilty of this.  It’s not something I’m proud of and it’s something I work on each day.  It is so easy to rationalize your choices and somehow make yourself the victim in every situation.  It’s so easy to “justify” your feelings . . . but at what point are you going to say, “Enough is enough” and start taking accountability for your life?

There is no Perfect Ending

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.  Delicious Ambiguity.”

― Gilda Radner

          Life is a crazy, beautiful disaster.  It is messy and unpredictable.  But for everything life isn’t, it remains an incredible journey that we are privileged to experience.  People so often say, life is hard – hard compared to what?  Maybe we need to spend less time trying to create this perfect life that society constructs for us – the perfect marriage with the 2.5 kids and white picket fence – and spend more time actually living our lives.  Maybe life isn’t about having all the answers.  Maybe life is truly about appreciating each moment of every day, for tomorrow isn’t promised.  So, today, spend a little less time focused on living for a future that has yet to happen and focus on embracing the present moment, for you will never get this time back.

To Be Courageous

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.”

– Mary Anne Radmacher

       When we hear the word courage, many of us automatically envision some hugely dramatic or over the top action like David taking on Goliath.  But, true courage is something far greater and more complex than this one-dimensional definition.  Courage takes on many forms and means something very different for each and every person.  And often in this cruel and unforgiving world, the most courageous act is to fail, repeatedly, and still say “I’ll try again tomorrow.”

True Strength is Never Surrendering

“Strength does not come from winning.  Your struggles develop your strengths.  When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

-Arnold Schwarzenegger

         Often in life, you get knocked down on your ass, repeatedly.  Sometimes it feels like the harder you try, the more things go wrong.  And the old adage of when it rains, it pours has new meaning.  When you find yourself stuck in these ruts, it’s so easy to throw in the towel and say I’m done – I’m tired.  I’m tired of fighting an uphill battle. I’m tired of always finishing last or second best.  I’m tired of feeling like I’m not good enough.  I’m simply tired of being tired.  But, it is during these moments of utter desolation that you have to find that fire within you to not give up, to not surrender and to stand back up and say, “This is not how my story is going to end.”  And, it is in these moments that true strength is forged.

Align Yourself With Love

“There is no excuse good enough to ever be out of alignment with love. You’re going to get hurt, and you will feel pain. Yet your purpose is to keep loving, anyway. Keep moving forward with an open heart. Love is a Divine gift given to humanity. Wasting it is no longer an option. Love is what brings light to a dark place. Love is what transforms a dying world into a thriving planet.”

― Alaric Hutchinson, Living Peace

      Life is about learning to love yourself and sharing that love with others. Undoubtedly, when you open your heart, you will get hurt. Love is painful, but it is also the greatest gift you can give and receive. So, you should strive to ground every action and decision in love. And imagine what this world would look like if each person were to do this.

A Beautiful Life

It’s a Beautiful Life

by Sandra Futter

Oh, it’s a beautiful morning.
Today’s gonna be a great day.

I’ve got that wonderful feeling,
That everything’s going my way.

No matter if the skies be stormy
And the wind’s blowing things in my way.

That doesn’t worry me any,
I know everything’s gonna be ok.

The obstacles don’t even slow me,
I pass by each one in my way.

The messes prove just to grow me.
I get stronger each and every day.

         Life is truly all about how you approach it.  If you start your day off in the mindset that no matter what it’s going to be a good day, you will be amazed by how the small things don’t faze you.  And even when things don’t quite go your way or when things go sideways, you are able to handle it much better and your mood isn’t ruined.  Attitude means everything.  Never underestimate the power of your mind.  So, when you wake up tomorrow, before you get out of bed, say out loud “Today will be a good day and if obstacles come my way, I’ll deal with it and move on, for nothing will dampen my spirit today.”

Happiness

Happiness

by Raymond Carver

So early it’s still almost dark out.
I’m near the window with coffee,
and the usual early morning stuff
that passes for thought.

When I see the boy and his friend
walking up the road
to deliver the newspaper.

They wear caps and sweaters,
and one boy has a bag over his shoulder.
They are so happy
they aren’t saying anything, these boys.

I think if they could, they would take
each other’s arm.
It’s early in the morning,
and they are doing this thing together.

They come on, slowly.
The sky is taking on light,
though the moon still hangs pale over the water.

Such beauty that for a minute
death and ambition, even love,
doesn’t enter into this.

Happiness. It comes on
unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,
any early morning talk about it.

      Happiness.  A true understanding of this term eludes many people.  Happiness is not found in the physical world, it’s something that is borne from within.  It is something that once you find it, it transcends you whole soul, your very being.  And, the amazing thing about happiness is that it sneaks up on you when you are least expecting it.

Life’s Harmonies

Life’s Harmonies

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Let no man pray that he know not sorrow,
Let no soul ask to be free from pain,
For the gall of to-day is the sweet of to-morrow,
And the moment’s loss is the lifetime’s gain.

Through want of a thing does its worth redouble,
Through hunger’s pangs does the feast content,
And only the heart that has harbored trouble,
Can fully rejoice when joy is sent.

Let no man shrink from the bitter tonics
Of grief, and yearning, and need, and strife,
For the rarest chords in the soul’s harmonies,
Are found in the minor strains of life.

         The person who you are today exists because of everything you have gone through in life – this includes the good, bad, painful and truly heartbreaking moments.  You are a product of all of your experiences throughout life – this is why you never stop growing and learning as the years creep by.  So, be careful in saying you wish you could go back in time and change events or make different choices.  For every twist, turn and bump in the road has shaped who you are today.