Many have wondered if there is really such a thing as free will, or are we just following predetermined cosmic paths created for us to experience by some higher power. Do our experiences happen for a reason, or are they chance?
Constantly, people face challenges and situations that always give them an essential experience or understanding that they need to accomplish a goal or create something that they could never have done without it. Did you make choices about your actions, or was it your destiny?
At times it seems that life is an intricately planned dance, that we are merely providing a well-rehearsed part. So I will determine once and for all right here if you should listen to your heart or if it is an illusion you have any choice at all.
You Have a Choice
One side of this argument is that we all have the free will and choice to do whatever we want to do. There are no facts to back up this idea, only philosophy. We can pursue any goal, try to become anything we want in life. Create any experience we want. However, these goals do not always turn into reality. Sometimes we fail. So what is the choice then? It is often a comforting thought to think that all things happen for a reason. But the bigger question to ask is, what is the reason? Is it a reason we have created for ourselves or a cosmic path we are sliding down?
We are the decision-maker in our lives. We each decide to ourselves if we let a minor setback put off the rails for a long time or resolve to try a different approach, learning the lessons of the past and the steely punch of reality. When you set an intention in your mind and decide to create something, I think the Universe works to bring this about. But you can’t be sort of onboard with the result. If you fail at first, you have a choice. To quit and blame the world for not giving you the thing you hoped to accomplish. Or you can choose to get determined and try again. You are not doing the same thing. That isn’t growth, but learning from the experience and adding that wisdom to the new effort. That is a choice, and we all have free will to follow that at any time. I often have to remind myself of this fact daily. Many people go through relatively the same experiences. Some choose to quit, hide from and be bitter about life, where others want to use the circumstances as a motivation for getting something done, accomplishing the unthinkable, and proving life wrong. You can most likely find both of these experiences inside of yourself.
All As It Was Meant To Be
Another thought is that everything exists out in front of you, and you are following a path that is set for you by God, the universe, the great beyond, or destiny (whatever you choose to believe). To me, this means there is something that is going to happen regardless of your decisions.
If this is the case, then each choice you make is no choice at all; it is just you playing a predetermined part. It will be ironic if this turns out to be true. Some decisions we languish over and spend hours of worry about for no real reason. But, in the end, your choice is already recorded in the books. We are just part of the illusion of control that makes us feel better.
Destiny is an excellent idea because it relieves the pressure. Things may not be as I want them right now, but I am moving toward greatness because it is written in the stars. (or not) I believe that the thought of true destiny without our participation would make no sense, but that is why we play this game of life to figure out the rules required to win. Each step we take reveals a little more of the game, and if a person is observant and reflective, they can learn more every day. There are times I feel like circumstances are as they are meant to be, and others where I can’t imagine the good that could result from the day I just had. I guess the value of anything is judged by you and how it is applied to make your life better or worse. Have you ever just let the fates decide? I know I have, and in those situations, whatever happens, enjoyment and happiness are still a choice.
The Combo Pack
I think that there might be a combination of these two elements at work in everyone’s life. You are living your life, and you are faced with decisions each day. You can be significant, and the choices you determine if you reach your potential or not. If you let the fear of anything stop you from becoming a better version of yourself, you will be less than you could be in life. In all things of value, there is always a chance of failure, loss, and disappointment. I have experienced it all in the past year. It is my choice now what I do about it. If those things drive me to do something which leads me to great success, then, in the end, aren’t the nasty things perfect?
Was it fate that pushed me in the right direction, or was it a personal choice? Does it matter at all if the result is a happy life in which we can be the best version of ourselves? The one thing which I am sure about is that if you are unhappy with your life, then you have to make a different choice than you have been making.
Each choice we make should reflect on our experience. Life had given and where we are going and what we do when we get there. My personal experiences have been telling me that we create our destiny. Through our intentions, beliefs, actions, and confidence in ourselves and our abilities, we forge a life full of accomplishment. Or, through our inaction and doubt, we create a mediocre life that may be acceptable to others but doesn’t follow our real purpose in any way.
Irony?
One of the ideas I love is no matter what choices we make in the day-to-day grind of things. We are going to be pushed this way or that. We do one thing or another. We make a million decisions to try to create something or become something. The irony might be that all roads lead to the same destination. Some are more scenic, and some are more painful. But at the end of the journey, no matter which paths you have chosen, you will arrive in the same place.
If I listened to my heart, I would delete this post. Or perhaps it is my destiny to post it. Or maybe the choice of posting or not will turn my life down one of two different roads, each of which has a million different experiences on them before ending up in the same place. It makes you wonder if there is any point in worrying about anything at all. So perhaps listen to your heart, cross your fingers, and hope for the best is the most positive thing you can do.
So what do you think?
A. By not commenting, you believe that the universe is on autopilot and what happens will happen
B. You can say, knowing that your free will to comment will affect your future, my future, and the future of humanity.
C. It doesn’t matter what you do. The same result will occur.
D. All of the Above
“What fates impose, that men must need to abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide.” WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
“Man does not control his fate. The women in his life do that for him.”-GROUCHO MARX
“Maybe Fate isn’t the pond you swim in, but the fisherman floating on top of it, letting you run the line wild until you are weary enough to be reeled back in.”-JODI PICOULT
“We seal our fate with the choices we make.” GLORIA ESTEFAN
Every person in the world in the history of humanity has been faced with the fact that life is going to be complex or challenging at times. It doesn’t matter what skills and tools you possess, Einstein intelligence, classic beauty, superior physical strength, or massive understanding, you are going to at some time find that life is kicking you around like a rag doll. So naturally, your confidence will be shaken. However, these times are not meant to break you but to strengthen you. The challenge is the thing that will cement your belief in yourself.
Master the Game
It would be nice if life were easy all the time and we had the whole game mastered. But, instead, it is knowing exactly what to do and when. Should I change careers? Is this relationship right for me? Why do I have so many issues, and How do I deal with them? All of these things are a part of the dance that is life. Life will give you periods where all is calm and nothing but happy times exist, but there are going to be other times that will not be easy. Challenges will most definitely come. And that is OK.
Stretch and Grow
The challenges and the difficulties that we face in life are the things that will force us to stretch and grow in ways that we may never have done before. In fact, without these difficulties in life, we probably wouldn’t have the capabilities and talents that we have. Each hurdle that you have to get over is a teaching tool that has been placed in front of you to allow you to learn, grow and become better than you were before.
When you see a challenge in your life, don’t fear it. Embrace it. The difficulty isn’t going anywhere, and only your attitude and decisions will decide if you learn anything worthwhile or not. It is totally and entirely up to you.
Your confidence will grow as you master the lessons that each challenge brings you. As I see it, the secret is to appreciate, enjoy, and be grateful for the moments that you seem to have everything mastered. Happiness only comes in moments that are happening right now, not in the past or the future. Now. You can be confident in that.
It is difficult to stop your mind from thinking about bad things that might happen. When you look at what you are thinking, much of it is based on untamed, repetitive thoughts and based entirely on fear. If your mind is left to its own devices, continually spitting out random thought patterns with no conscious control from you, worry will most likely be the result. Fear-based thoughts about what might happen tomorrow will take something away from you of value, or that you will add something terrible to your life will dominate you. Unfortunately, this constant stream of negativity is occurring in most people’s minds. Worry will never help you, other than to make your life the most miserable experience it can be for you and all of those around you. But yet we worry on.
Negative thinking can have both short and long-term complications on the quality of your life, from physical issues to psychological problems of paranoia or obsessive-compulsive disorders of all kinds. Fear is the antagonistic force behind this, and a positive attitude and hope are the cure of all of this worry all the time.
I read an interesting article about worry that I want to share with my commentary. I hope it helps you. Dr. Walter Cavert contributed it.
Things We Worry About
– Things that never happen- 40%
Many times our minds can cook up precisely what we are scared of. What if a meteor hits my house?
What if my significant other is cheating on m? What if my children forget to look both ways before crossing the road and are arrested for jaywalking and sent to prison and never receive that baseball scholarship? North Korea may develop a weapon to destroy us.
The list of what-ifs and how comes is as endless as your imagination. You can spend unlimited time worrying about these types of things, but you are wasting a significant portion of your time.
The thing is that these events that are worrying you so much may never and most likely will never happen. I understand that they may happen, but will worry about them stop them even if they do? Will it allow you to protect your loved ones and yourself from these events? The answer is no. Even if they do happen, your worrying about them will not prevent them, and you will have to deal with them anyway.
How to defeat these worries, recognize these thoughts when they arise as things that may never happen. Understand that excessive worry does not lead to control because we can never have complete control over life and the things that will happen, no matter what we do.
Life is never about what happens to you. It is all about how you deal with these things. You can control what thoughts you allow to influence your moods and behaviors. As a famous philosopher once said, “Stuff Happens, deal with it.” That is how it is, and you will be much healthier if you eliminate your worries about things that will never happen.
-Things over and done with that can’t be changed- 30%
So True!
How much time do we spend thinking about our past? Whether it is about choices we have made our choices we didn’t make, people often look back with a healthy sense of fantasy that if they had done something differently, or if they had made a different decision at a critical point in their life, then now life would be so much better.
The danger with these types of thoughts is that they are so addictive and believable. It is comforting to visit thought about our past. They are safe, and whether you admit it or not, you have the ultimate control of how the particular situation you are thinking about actually occurred.
You can only remember snapshots of events anyway because remembering every detail would take the same real-time it took when the event originally happened. So that means your mind is just picking and choosing the parts it wants you to remember.
Almost always idealized. Almost always positive towards you and serving whatever purpose you want your memory to fill. Also, as human beings, our minds will see what we want them to see and remember.
This is emphasized by any five individuals who witness something. If you separate them and look at their memory of that event, you will get five different versions. They will be similar but rarely precisely the same.
As time passes, the more different these stories will become, and that is how our memories work. Then, finally, an event happens, and we immediately let our imaginations run wild about it. The point is that worrying about how things worked out in the past is a waste of time because you can NOT change the past.
It happened, and what you remember about it may not be entirely accurate anyway. The past is gone, and you can’t get it back, make a different decision, or change the way things worked out at all. Those events, good or bad, are gone forever and won’t ever be returning.
It seems to be the only intelligent thing to do is to remember the past as much as is advantageous to us. For example, life is a great teacher, and you learn new things every day of life. You would be a fool not to take those lessons and not make the same mistakes again another time. So any worry, angst, heartbreak, denial, nostalgia, thought about the past is a waste of time because once it’s gone, you can’t change it, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. So accept it, learn from it, and move on because life is continuing, with or without you.
-Needless worries about our health- 12%
This is a difficult one because I think that everyone should be interested in being healthy physically and mentally. But, still, there is a difference between being healthy and worrying about our health needlessly.
To mean needless worrying relates to the previous two worries but specifically about our health. Worrying about every ache and pain is the beginning of some significant injury or illness.
You may, in fact, at some point contract an illness, but worrying about it is probably not going to stop it. You can take great care of yourself for your entire life and drop dead from a heart attack because of a defective aorta.
You can eat right and exercise every day and still contract cancer. The point is not that bad things might happen to your health, but worrying continually about them is only going to shorten your quality of life and make you miserable.
It seems the logical thing to do, is to take care of yourself as best you can and live your life. I don’t think you should stop working out or eating right, but not spend a significant amount of time worrying about what might happen to your health in the future.
What will happen is going to happen. Being in shape will only help you deal with things physically and mentally.
– Petty miscellaneous worries- 10%
These are the things that we worry about that are inconsequential to life. For example, worrying about what someone is saying about you, what they are making up about you, or being well-liked by coworkers, or if your physical appearance is appealing to everyone you meet.
Any of these types of worries are a foolish waste of time. Some people will like you, some are not, some will think you are attractive, and some will not, no matter what you do. You can spend hours worrying about how you look and what others you come in contact with think about you as a person, but do they know you in any natural way? Does their opinion matter? What you feel about yourself is what counts. You know what type of person you are. Are you honest? Do you talk about others? Do you spread rumors? Would you steal?
All of these questions and more are totally up to you to answer. And if you don’t like the honest answer you give yourself, you can make a choice to change that. It is never too late, and nobody is set in stone. We are all a victim of our experience, and we can choose to let those things dictate our character or not.
-Real legitimate worries-8%
Now, you should worry about some things, like if you have a place to live and food to eat. Suppose your basic needs are being met for you and your family. However, I still have an issue with the word worry, even in this capacity.
Because being concerned or responsible is not worrying. It is being concerned about the well-being of your family and loved ones and being responsible for them getting what they need. Worrying has never fed a child or ended any trouble. As humans, worry is one of the defense mechanisms that help us deal with the misfortunes that life will inevitably send our way.
This situation leaves 92% of all worry we do as totally useless and unhealthy!
“And this too shall pass.”
Quotes About Worry!
Worry is a misuse of imagination. ~Dan Zadra
If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones. ~Don Herold
Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it. ~Mark Twain
Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. ~Author Unknown
Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which will never happen. ~James Russel Lowell
If things go wrong, don’t go with them. ~Roger Babson
Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy. ~Leo Buscaglia
Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. ~Benjamin Franklin
If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. ~Dale Carnegie
I’ve developed a new philosophy… I only dread one day at a time. ~Charlie Brown (Charles Schulz)
Troubles are a lot like people – they grow bigger if you nurse them. ~Author Unknown
If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today. ~E. Joseph Cossman
Nerves and butterflies are fine – they’re a physical sign that you’re mentally ready and eager. You have to get the butterflies to fly in formation, that’s the trick. ~Steve Bull
I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance. Then, whenever doubt, anxiety or fear try to call me, they keep getting a busy signal – and soon they’ll forget my number. ~Edith Armstrong
Nerves provide me with energy. They work for me. It’s when I don’t have them, when I feel at ease, that I get worried. ~Mike Nichols
I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief…. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. ~Wendell Berry, “The Peace of Wild Things”
People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross. ~Author Unknown
You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time. ~Pat Schroeder
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one. ~Elbert Hubbard, The Note Book, 1927
Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. ~Glenn Turner
People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them. ~George Bernard Shaw, “Family Affection,” Parents and Children, 1914
Panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination. ~Christian Nevell Bovee
Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face. ~Nelson DeMille
For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe. ~Author Unknown
We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic. ~Cullen Hightower
If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times. ~Dean Smith
It only seems as if you are doing something when you’re worrying. ~Lucy Maud Montgomery
That the birds of worry and care fly over you head, you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, which you can prevent. ~Chinese Proverb
We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it. ~John Newton
Worry ducks when purpose flies overhead. ~Terri Guillemets
It is the little bits of things that fret and worry us; we can dodge an elephant but can’t a fly. ~Josh Billings
Worry, doubt, fear, and despair are the enemies which slowly bring us down to the ground and turn us to dust before we die. ~Attributed to Douglas MacArthur
Worry is an addiction that interferes with compassion. ~Deng Ming-Dao
You can never worry your way to enlightenment. ~Terri Guillemets
When you suffer an attack of nerves, you’re being attacked by the nervous system. What chance has a man got against a system? ~Russell Hoban
[A]ny concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden. ~Corrie Ten Boom, Clippings from My Notebook
I am reminded of the advice of my neighbor. “Never worry about your heart till it stops beating.” ~E.B. White
There are two days in the week about which and upon which I never worry… Yesterday and Tomorrow. ~Robert Jones Burdette
A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work. ~John Lubbock
As a rule, what is out of sight disturbs men’s minds more seriously than what they see. ~Julius Caesar
If worrying were an Olympic sport, you’d get the gold for sure. ~Stephenie Geist
I refuse to be burdened by vague worries. If something wants to worry me, it will have to make itself clear. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com
Worry is rust upon the blade. ~Henry Ward Hughes
Anxiety is a deep conscious breath away from dissolving. ~Mike Dolan,www.hawaiianlife.com
Heavy thoughts bring on physical maladies; when the soul is oppressed so is the body. ~Martin Luther
I have learned to live each day as it comes and not to borrow trouble by dreading tomorrow. It is the dark menace of the future that makes cowards of us. ~Dorothy Day
Worry is a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving around a pivot of fear. ~Author Unknown
Loneliness, insomnia, and change: the fear of these is even worse than the reality. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, 1966
It is not the cares of today, but the considerations of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. ~George MacDonald
Oh, the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called man! Oh the little that unhinges it, poor creatures that we are! ~Charles Dickens
Some patients I see are actually draining into their bodies the diseased thoughts of their minds. ~Zacharty Bercovitz
Some of your hurts you have cured, And the sharpest you still have survived, But what torments of grief you endured From the evil which never arrived. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. ~Mark Twain
I highly recommend worrying. It is much more effective than dieting. ~William Powell
My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened. ~Michel de Montaigne
If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you. ~Calvin Coolidge
When one has too great a dread of what is impending, one feels some relief when the trouble has come. ~Joseph Joubert
Some men storm imaginary Alps all their lives, and die in the foothills cursing difficulties which do not exist. ~Edgar Watson Howe
How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened. ~Thomas Jefferson
When I really worry about something, I don’t just fool around. I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something. Only, I don’t go. I’m too worried to go. I don’t want to interrupt my worrying to go. ~J.D. Salinger,Catcher in the Rye
Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. ~Arthur Somers Roche
We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. ~Etty Hillesum
There are people who are always anticipating trouble, and in this way they manage to enjoy many sorrows that never really happen to them. ~Josh Billings
Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is with thoughts of what may be. ~John Dryden
Love looks forward, hate looks back, anxiety has eyes all over its head. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook, 1960
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due. ~William Ralph Inge
There are more things, Lucilius, that frighten us than injure us, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality. ~Seneca
We are more disturbed by a calamity which threatens us than by one which has befallen us. ~John Lancaster Spalding
We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth’s creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives. ~Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail, 1979
A hundred load of worry will not pay an ounce of debt. ~George Herbert
As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey. ~Thomas A. Edison
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow. ~Swedish Proverb
Never bear more than one kind of trouble at a time. Some people bear three – all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have. ~Edward Everett Hale
I think that all people at some time have the feeling that they just don’t fit in. It could have been in school, and it could be at work or anywhere else in the world. Feeling like you are just too different to find your place is a common belief, but it is one that you should get rid of right now because that thought is only limiting you from seeing the places where you do fit ideally.
Hiding your Talent will not Let You Fit In
The thought that we are too different to fit into society in any way will
cause a person to look for ways to conform to the expectations of the norm. That means that you are looking for ways to hide the things about yourself that make you original, fantastic, and just plain wonderful. That unique you are the one you should nurture and allow to grow and not hide from the world. Through our rarity, the world will ultimately embrace you, and you will make your mark.
Don’t bow your head to anyone because you don’t act, think or look like everyone else expects you to. You are a one-of-a-kind original, and you will find the place you fit in as soon as you embrace your rarity.
Don’t Accept Other Peoples Limits You Fit In
If you weren’t accepted at some time in the past, that is the problem of the people who didn’t accept you, not yours. There are thousands of examples of genius that were ignored, ridiculed, and chastised because it was different from the norm, only to be recognized as a unique contribution in the eyes of history.
You are that historical contribution and don’t allow a limiting belief like “I’m too different to fit in,” Limit you in the least, because at your worst you are remarkable, and at your best, you are a miracle, you fit in.
Creating a shortlist of beliefs on which I think my life is hopefully based is a difficult task but one I am continually polishing and evaluating as life teaches me the lessons I need to learn. People come into your life, situations change, we learn, we lose, we grow, and the lessons are what we are left with and the beliefs are the constants that strain out of the mess that is left of our lives after all experiences happen. So this product is ever-evolving, and I am editing it as I see fit, but I stick with what I say at this moment. At least for today, until they have been proven false tomorrow, and then I will adjust.
All People are Connected
Call it God, the Universe, or whatever your religion dictates, but we are all connected through a divine order to me. All people are fundamentally the same and contain the same abilities for great good and equal power to commit great evil. That is just a part of this crazy game called life. Just as everyone is the same, each person is a unique creation as well. There has never been another person exactly like you, and there will never be another one again. There is something extraordinary about that. We are all bound together in the experience of life and the story evolving out of it.
All of us have a connection on the soul level. The human ego has been developed to make us feel like we are all alone and isolated. But the truth is that it is just an illusion and breaking that can change your life. When people look to their similarities, and away from what separates them, anything is possible. We are all connected, and that should be the hope of your life. When you look at someone else, don’t judge anyone too harshly. You are only a few circumstances away from being the same.
Your Actions Define Who YOU Are
Talk is cheap. What you do is the definition of your character. I have heard the soft and sympathetic words that were worth absolutely nothing but have been blessed by the actions of many great people. Saying you are something means nothing. Being that thing means everything. Each day all people are faced with a large number of choices, be positive or negative. Loving or fearful. Kind or judgmental. Etc. It is these choices that lead to action and define us to the world. Make your choices carefully.
How do you want to be seen in the world? Think about that when you make a thousand decisions making up your day. I have heard people speak about the virtues of kindness globally and then treat people in their day-to-day life in a very mean and judgmental fashion. What type of person are they? Kind or mean? Words say kind things, but actions are callous and cold to human understanding. Your actions are mean, selfish, and insensitive, then that is what you are. The good news is anyone can change at any moment and become a better version of themselves. Let your actions be a ringing endorsement of your character, not a condemnation.
Thinking Positively Leads to Positive Results
Bad stuff happens to everyone at some point in life. How you deal with it is essential to the quality of your life and those around you. Life is full of things that you define subjectively as good or bad. Our attitude about these events is what will determine our lives. Look at the good in all situations. You may not be able to see it at first but ask yourself, “How can this make me better?” or “What is this situation trying to teach me?” The truth is no situation is positive or negative. There is a little of both in everything. It is up to you to find it. How well you make these choices defined how happy you are in life.
Defining things as positives allows you to enjoy life more, be healthier, and support those you love. At the same time, negative thinking is defeatist and will supply you with the exact opposite. As I mentioned above, you choose every day to be positive or negative in this world. Positive thinking will lead to positive results in your life. How much positivism do you prefer?
All People Have Value
This is difficult to remember sometimes when I am angry or someone has hurt me, but that doesn’t change the fact that I believe this is true. People live differently, make poor decisions, and look differently, but inside they all have value. All that separates any of us from the circumstances of another is mere chance. At our core, we are all beings of love. Therefore, understand and giving love is the most important thing.
Every person is a teacher and a learner. You can learn something from everyone. A valuable lesson can come from a simple conversation or just in observation of someone living their life. I don’t look in judgment but in understanding and appreciation of what their experience brings. For example, Victor Frankel was a Holocaust survivor who didn’t let the worst experience of his life dim his hope for humanity. I take that lesson and apply it to my life all the time. If he could remain positive, what excuse do I have to feel bad? We can learn those lessons from all sorts of people every day.
Action Is Mandatory for Success
Every person that has ever been born has had a dream of some kind. There are no exceptions. When a person takes action, they can make their dream come true. Even if that action doesn’t work out, then you have gained valuable information that you can use to try again. Many people carry a lot of fear around inside them, of many different things. Action kills fear because it removes all doubt. Either something is going to work, or it isn’t. There is no need to worry or fret because you have all the information right in front of you. Taking action is the reality check and a powerful ally to all people. Take action and see what you can accomplish in your life today.
Start your business, ask for the date, apply for the job, say what you mean. All of your actions will lead to repercussions for which you will be responsible, but that is a great way to live life. Embrace all of the ripples of your existence and never apologize for them. If you are honest and trustworthy and explain why you did what you did to those who matter, you have nothing to be ashamed of or worried about. Let your action do the talking, and it will create a life of consequence.
Forgiveness is Necessary
To forgive someone for something they did that harmed you is very difficult. It can’t just be lip service of saying that they are forgiven. It has to be inside your heart. The only one who can give forgiveness is you, and the sooner you give it, the sooner you can move on. Letting go of pain, sadness, anger, or any other negative emotion is key to enjoying life. I read somewhere that you know that someone is forgiven when you think of them, and there is no subtle searing inside your heart.
It can take a conscious effort, but with forgiveness comes freedom, strength, and love. Choices that are made from love are generally good choices. To hold on to anger or pain is to give power to someone else over your life, and clearly, they don’t deserve to be a part of your life if they hurt you or treated you with disregard. Forgive them and learn never to treat anyone inadequately again. Let your ripples be of kindness and joy. Forgive everyone, including yourself, and move forward with the best intentions to be the best version of yourself possible.
Embrace Love, Avoid Fear
All people carry this inside of them, and the one you pay attention to will determine how much you enjoy this ride we call life. Focus on the love-based emotions like kindness, understanding, generosity, acceptance, patience, and love while avoiding the fear-based feelings and thoughts of anger, hate, separation, jealousy, stereotyping, and judgment. It can be harder to do than it sounds, but the effort is well worth it. Love is a powerful way to think that will allow you to become the best version of yourself spiritually, physically, and mentally. Love leads to kindness and personal growth. Fear is the opposite of love, and it will lead to isolation and a negative life experience. Not many people are happy with their fear-based thoughts, and living through love makes it impossible not to be satisfied.
There it is, some simple things to help you think about ways to move better through your day and your life. The song below is one of my all-time favorites; it reminds me of how life changes and moves. We do move like water, and you never know when life will end, and all we have is this moment. Love much and believe in yourself ultimately!! Be the most extraordinary person you can be, and make sure your beliefs allow you to shine fully.
Silence and space are two of the factors that allow all things to exist, but they are there lying in the background of life largely unnoticed, unappreciated, or even unwanted. But without them, we could speak no word, or we could bring creation into existence. I am taking a moment to appreciate both the silence and space with all of their magical capabilities today. There is a power in the silence of a moment that many feel we need to fill with some noise to be comfortable. The same can be said for space, and we often go through our days paying no attention to space all around us. We focus on the things that exist, not seeing the opportunities all around them. Let’s focus today on the power of silence and the space in our lives.
Hear the Silence
It is normal to pay attention to the sounds we hear. For example, a voice brings us information, a song that touches our soul, the dialogue in our favorite shows, or just the sounds all around us. But to focus on the silence all around us makes all of these sounds possible. Pay attention to the quiet and ignore the sounds for just a short time every day. When you pay attention to the outer silence, you pay attention to the extreme silence. You create an inner silence inside of yourself. This allows your mind to become still.
By bringing your mind to stillness, you can see and feel everything around you calmly. The outer silence creates the palate for sound to come into being. The inner silence provides a canvas for the clear internal words and noises to be spoken as well. Honest thoughts of value can come to you out of the silence of your mind. The answers to questions asked, the route to find your happiness. Stillness inside starts with paying attention to the silence without. You can’t pay attention to outer silence and not become still inside, and that contains within it the possibilities of all things.
Wide Open Spaces
For anything to come into being, there has to be a space for it to exist. The power and value of a room are not the four walls but the space inside the walls. It is the same for everything and every place else. It is the absence of things that creates the potential of our world. A blank page is an ultimate playground for great.
Do you see an empty room or a room full of potential?
art of all kinds, writing a story, a thought, or drawing a picture. The space we see is the potential for everything to exist. Space itself has no actual existence, but it allows all other things to exist.
Become acutely aware of the space all around you. If you look closely, you will become aware of the space and the feeling of no thinking, which allows all thoughts to come into your head. Look at the nothing in the room and see its potential. You might see the potential in the space inside you as well—space for creation, caring, and kindness. There is no limit on the number of these things you can create. Like the silence, space is still and infinite in potential. Look for your creations in the space in your life. It can be shaped into what you need or desire to create.
Connections
Both space and silence allow you to calm and silence your thoughts and allow for the things inside you that are a gift to the world to rise to the top and be shared with all. The cap on the bottle can be removed by becoming still with the silence or empty like space. It allows for things to come out hidden by the sounds or lost behind the things that we already are occupied with. Change your focus from the sounds you hear or the things you see to the silence behind the sound and the space surrounding everything in the world. This observation is a doorway to creativity and understanding yourself.
“Space and silence are two aspects of the same thing. The same no-thing. They are externalization of inner space and inner silence, which is stillness: the infinitely creative womb of all existence.” – Eckhart Tolle.
“Let silence take you to the core of life.” ― Rumi
“Never say anything that doesn’t improve on silence.” ― Richard Yates
In the stories I was read as a child, there were many mentions of magic words and spells that would immediately change someone’s life or grant them a wish they desired. I never really understood that there are magic phrases that we can use every day that will have a profound positive effect on our lives and the lives of those around us, just like those stories. The best news is that you can start using them today, right now, this very second and see almost immediate results. These are four phrases that can change your life. They are part of something called Ho’oponopono.
“Thank You”
This is the first phrase, and hopefully, you are using this each day to show your appreciation and gratitude for all that you have been fortunate enough to experience in life. There is magic in this phrase because if you use it sincerely, you show someone you value how much they mean to you.
Take a moment and think of the time someone has thanked you for something. It makes you feel good, and most people want to pass that good feeling on. Being grateful will open the doors for more in your life, and thank you is the phrase that expresses this gratitude to everyone else in the world. Look for opportunities today to make sure you thank people for even the littlest kindness. It can change your outlook for the entire day.
“I’m sorry.”
These can be the two most difficult words to say, and I think that is what makes them so powerful. Putting your emotions aside and focusing on how your behavior, thoughts, or words have harmed another is very powerful. Looking at life through someone else’s lens allows empathy, understanding, and compassion. Being sorry doesn’t mean you are wrong. But, it means that you understand how your actions have negatively affected someone else. Only healing and personal growth can come from the sincere use of these magic words.
“Please Forgive Me”
Forgiveness is one of the powers of the universe. It is healthy and creates positive energy. Asking for forgiveness is a robust recognition that you have hurt someone and you care enough about them to desire to continue the relationship.
Granting forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. Even though someone has wronged you, until you forgive and let those negative emotions go, they will be harming you. It isn’t an acceptance that what someone else did was right or wrong, and it is an acceptance that you are no longer going to let the actions of another control your life or feelings anymore. This phrase can have a profound effect when you ask it of yourself.
“I Love You”
In all things, there is a simple choice between fear and love. However, when you choose to express love, it will change the way you experience the world. Love for another, love for yourself, love for life are all great examples of this.
Love is a complex emotion and brings with it many levels of intensity. However, in whatever form, there is nothing negative that the sincere expression of love can bring. Only a life that has more positive things in it will be fulfilling. Love is the only natural religion the world needs; if everyone practiced it, there would be nothing but cooperation, acceptance, and understanding. The result would be a world full of happiness and contentment.
Use Them Today Challenge
So there you have it, four phrases that can change your life today. All you have to do is use them. The challenge for you is to try to use them all today. Consciously look for a situation where you can use these phrases and notice the results. Experience the magic for yourself.
The time after sunset and before dark, the Gloaming!
There is a time between the light and dark of day, where if you look closely where all things appear to be possible. It is the location in life where the ghosts of daily accomplishments and future possibilities meet.
Did the light of day provide something worthwhile to contemplate? Or were the seeds planted that are going to flourish into the bountiful harvest of tomorrow?
These thoughts arrive in the gloaming as the day resigns its light and accepts the inevitable cover of the night. An ending of one moment, as we all find the rest, we need to face to possibility and new opportunity the new day will bring. Our spirit guides us through this day.
Morning Dawns
The morning light is dancing on the water.
Just as the case with everyone’s life, each day provides an opportunity for creating whatever we choose. We are born at dawn, and as life unfolds for however long our day will last, we design, experience, and love those things we create. The morning is ever hopeful. As light dances on the soft water, so do our dreams and hopes move. We see few limits and move confidently through this time.
Sometimes there are clouds or at least cloudy experiences that darken the sky. Many are just temporary, passing from the sun and memory as quickly as the wind can push them away. Others stay with us like a part of our being throughout our day, an almost permanent black cloud. The morning is an excellent time, full of innocence and possibilities. It can be the most significant part of a person’s day. Yet, the realities of life have not diminished one’s hope and the sight of unlimited potential.
Afternoon Of Realization
Afternoon activity can define your day.
The morning will only last so long, and the midday and the afternoon follow it. The afternoon is a time of great accomplishment. You have the energy and knowledge built up through the beginning of your day, and now you are putting things learned into practice. Moving with the experience gained, we march confidently from task to task, applying our knowing purpose to professional and personal experiences.
It is only as the shadows of the afternoon get long that we start to see we might not have known so much after all. Some of our best-laid plans that showed so much promise have crumbled around our heads — threatening to destroy us. It is like an illusion that existed was suddenly wiped away, leaving something strange in its place. The truth is what is left. These shadows of the afternoon are disheartening and intimidating, and either you will recognize them as mere shadows of fear and move forward with your plans. Or you are going to hide from them with your head in the sand, remembering the good safe times of morning and dreaming of returning to safety. It is not possible, but the mind is full of illusions.
The Evening
The lengthening shadows of evening.
As we move through the evening, there is no longer any fooling ourselves. The day is going to end eventually. It doesn’t matter what you do, where you go, or how you act. The day is going to end permanently. Dusk is a time for reflection, understanding, and to pass along all the valuable lessons that the day has taught to others.
Some might be fearful their decisions are going to come back to haunt them in the coming darkness. Others are accepting of the inevitability of the end of the day and their part in it. It is best not to regret the memory of the day because whatever has transpired is still, in its way, fantastic and magical.
There will never be another day like it ever again. Your part in the activities, small or large, has been vital. Events have flowed from them, like drops of water from melted snow collect to create a mighty river.
These rivers allow our choices to weave their way over land and create a mighty ocean. So your part is significant, and the reality of all things would be different if you didn’t play your role in the day.
The Gloaming Comes
The day will end. There is no escaping it. All we can do is enjoy the light we have.
As you move from the end of the day into the blanket of darkness that is night, there is a final moment of reflection and appreciation. It is a seemingly magical image in time where there is a glimmer of what the day has wrought — memories of the people and events that colored your life dance together, both thrilling and haunting you simultaneously. As you look into the sky, you see a record of these events, but not written in stone. That is the magic of the gloaming, I think, that the activities you remember are only shadows of reality and maybe playing out differently in some other dimension of time.
It is senseless to fear the gloaming of the day because it is merely a mirror image of your creation. Let the night come. It is not an ending. It is only the start of a different time of perceived darkness. As we know, though, the night is not dark. There are starlight and moonlight available to guide you. It is a shadow day, but nothing to be feared. The gloaming of the day is merely the doorway into another world. An inevitable journey that we all are going to take at the end of our day. The light is just on the other side, waiting to greet you and bring you nearly unlimited possibilities.
Get your rest because tomorrow will bring a new tapestry to be woven and a new landscape of possibility.
Carl Jung teaches that we all pass through four stages of life if we are fortunate enough to have a long enough life. When I look at today, there is enough proof in our society that he was right on in his assessment. Therefore, all thinking beings should be at least asking themselves questions about their current progress. Where are you in life?
Athlete Stage- Preoccupied with how you look, your body, and nothing else seems significant or as important as that. The media functions in this sphere by creating a particular body image that all people should strive to possess to be considered attractive.
As a culture, we pander to this stage, teaching them to become good consumers. Our society teaches that it’s not only looks that matter; you can still be acceptable by having the right possessions. This shallow belief continues into the other stages. Many still believe that money can buy happiness. It can’t. What brings you joy?
Warrior Stage– During this stage of life, young people are driven to get out there and conquer the world. There is a constant movement to be the best, get the best, do our best, and do what warriors do and act like we think warriors should work. This stage has you believing that by defeating others, you have more value for yourself.
So many organizations are built on the false lure of competition. That by winning at anything, you are a more intelligent, better, or more desirable person. The actual value of competitive sports is not the competition but the cooperation that success takes. If you learn the lessons of competition, it builds teamwork, the trust of others, the value of your teammates’ skills, and attempting to achieve goals as a group. So how do you view competition?
Statement Stage- People start to realize the warrior stage has a lack of real purpose in it. Life is more than acquiring material possessions and simply achieving for yourself and your glory. At this stage, all most want to do is stop being selfish and give to the world. It seems essential to leave the world a better place than it was before you arrived here.
People start to look to do good things in charitable works and looking for ways to give back to society rather than take from it. The valuable lessons of cooperation allow those that learn them to work better with others. What is your statement?
Spirit Stage– Since the other stages are based on the exterior of things, our looks, accomplishments, and legacies, this stage focuses on who we are. We are more than our bodies, and there is a spirit and soul inside that takes this journey. We are far more than our possessions, more than our friends, more than our profession, more than our country, etc. We are all spiritual beings having a human experience.
So as you look at the world, you will see your journey as something to be experienced, not something to be owned. As we pass through the stages, it is essential to look know each has a purpose. As we develop, it is all leading to a spiritual awakening. Some will never get to this point, but most will eventually. Some will find it through organized religion. Others will find it in the delicate and unforgiving movement of nature. One Carl Jung quote that defines this process well:
“Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great in the morning will be little at evening and what in the morning was true, at evening will have become a lie.”
We are all seeking our place in the world and moving through changes. Not everyone is going to experience everything the same, but your perspective will change. Those who are clinging to the past are wasting their years. LIFE IS EITHER SADNESS OR EUPHORIA…………..
One of the choices we have in life is to grow and become more every day we experience or not. In all situations, we are either getting better, or we are getting worse. Nobody ever stays the same. Some may say, “why worry about growth? Just enjoy what you already have.” That is true to some degree, but nothing is static. All things are constantly changing, and in many instances, we have a handle on moving in which direction you grow. I choose to pursue growth because it allows one to move toward something being a better human. Becoming your best self and provides a purpose for living. Without meaning, life becomes an empty exercise of activities, knowing something is missing. I want to have a purpose in every moment in life and continually seek to contribute to the world.
Don’t Fear Challenges.
I want to see challenges as an opportunity to become better, to learn, and to grow. So I want to embrace them and do my best to overcome them with strength, dignity, and courage. So many people avoid a challenge because it will be difficult or push them outside of their known talents and existence. But that is what life is about. You don’t have to travel far distances to experience new things and to grow. Challenges are the method life provides. So I want to embrace challenges with courage and understanding.
We do not know everything when we are born or at any stage of life. There are always new things to learn, and the challenges life sends your way are designed to allow greatness to come out of you. Overcoming a new challenge is suitable for your self-esteem, confidence, and understanding of life and yourself. Our number one purpose is to become our best selves.
Persistence Is Irreplaceable
Developing a stubborn persistence in the pursuit of things is another reason I prefer growth. When you have a weak mindset, it is straightforward to give up on a goal or a dream if the going gets too complicated. However, when obstacles come, don’t give up. Instead, keep working and develop a plan to get over, under, or around whatever is in your way. This talent is developed through choice, and it is one we will be working on for the entirety of our lives. All the great ones of history had this talent in their toolbox.
Once you decide to avoid difficulty and just quit, you have developed a habit that will stick with you until you learn to accept that not all things in life will come to you quickly. They take ongoing work and focus on overcoming. When this talent is achieved, what can stand beyond your reach? Keep on trying, and eventually, the key will be yours to whatever door you seek to unlock.
Becoming Great
The effort you give to solve problems, overcome obstacles or meet challenges will determine your skill level at that thing. We are faced with different sorts of challenges every day. To do what we must exist in life, but digging deep inside ourselves to find the strength inside us will push us to keep working at the things we want to do. Finding time to do something and to do it consistently will make you proficient at it. Seeking constant improvement is going to allow you to see the best that is going to happen.
The path to mastering anything comes with practice and repeated activity. Keep working, try to become better, and improve. It is the same for learning how to draw or learning to tie your shoe. Practice until you become the best at it. We are all capable of becoming great at almost anything with enough practice and work. One thing for sure without effort, you will not reach your best.
Learning from Criticism
It can be challenging to hear people be critical of you or your work. But there is an opportunity in that criticism to improve and become better. Some people criticize for no good reason, and others provide supportive, constructive criticism, which is meant to help you. Knowing the difference between the two is how you keep your mind calm, stay positive, and stay motivated. Look honestly at the work you have done and the person talking to you. Not everything is going to be great the first time you try it. However, development is essential, and that is growth.
Do not take critical things about things you create personally, the things you do may resonate with some people, but others are not going to appreciate it. Expect it and know that it is not an indictment of you as a person. Still, they didn’t understand your work if the criticism is of a personal nature that is something different—probably caused by jealousy or attempted manipulation. How much faith you give will determine how much you are manipulated. Don’t fear criticism; it isn’t worth it.
Find Inspiration from Others Success
That leads us to the success of others. It can be hard to watch others reap the rewards, doing something you wanted to do yourself. Jealousy will get you nowhere, but accepting and appreciating the talents of others can help you grow. See what they have done and be positively critical to see what you might be able to differently or better. Too many people waste time on envy or jealousy, and those two emotions will take you nowhere. Instead of working on yourself and your talents, you are sulking in the corner, wishing you were someone else.
Learn the lessons that someone else is teaching you through their success and use them as inspiration to move in the right direction.
“The journey is never-ending. There’s always going to be growth, improvement, adversity; you gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown.
Many have wondered if there is really such a thing as free will, or are we just following predetermined cosmic paths created for us to experience by some higher power. Do our experiences happen for a reason, or are they chance?
happen for a reason. But the bigger question to ask is, what is the reason? Is it a reason we have created for ourselves or a cosmic path we are sliding down?
Another thought is that everything exists out in front of you, and you are following a path that is set for you by God, the universe, the great beyond, or destiny (whatever you choose to believe). To me, this means there is something that is going to happen regardless of your decisions.
I think that there might be a combination of these two elements at work in everyone’s life. You are living your life, and you are faced with decisions each day. You can be significant, and the choices you determine if you reach your potential or not. If you let the fear of anything stop you from becoming a better version of yourself, you will be less than you could be in life. In all things of value, there is always a chance of failure, loss, and disappointment. I have experienced it all in the past year. It is my choice now what I do about it. If those things drive me to do something which leads me to great success, then, in the end, aren’t the nasty things perfect?
make a million decisions to try to create something or become something. The irony might be that all roads lead to the same destination. Some are more scenic, and some are more painful. But at the end of the journey, no matter which paths you have chosen, you will arrive in the same place.
Creating a shortlist of beliefs on which I think my life is hopefully based is a difficult task but one I am continually polishing and evaluating as life teaches me the lessons I need to learn. People come into your life, situations change, we learn, we lose, we grow, and the lessons are what we are left with and the beliefs are the constants that strain out of the mess that is left of our lives after all experiences happen. So this product is ever-evolving, and I am editing it as I see fit, but I stick with what I say at this moment. At least for today, until they have been proven false tomorrow, and then I will adjust.
The Beauty of Darkness
Gloaming
Understanding Fear
