All posts by Jonathan Hilton

22

Anger Management

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I think that no matter how far along you have come in life, there are always some things that have stuck with you, and even though you feel that you have let go of it, you haven’t.

To be happy in life and enjoy the experiences that I am blessed with every day, there is a constant letting go of perceived slights, whether big or small.

Today I am thinking about the process of how I let things go and what experiences I have to make drift into the ether and cease to be a problem for me.

Forgiving and Letting Go

There is a freedom that comes from truly forgiving someone for hurting you. It doesn’t mean that you condone what they did to hurt you, like it, or ever want to see it repeated. It merely means that you will no longer let whatever someone else did have any power over you anymore.

forgive It sounds trivial and overly simple, but it is just that, but just because it is simple doesn’t mean it is secure. I know that I let some of my false crosses become a definition of who I was for a long time, yet I learned in the end that what has happened to you isn’t who you are, and it is what happened to you.

Much like a tree can exist, go through all types of different weather, yet after it all, the tree is still a tree,  It may have lost some branches and may have a few scars on its trunk, but it is still the same tree it was before.

You are still the same as you always have been, despite the challenges you faced. Letting go is the process to stop blaming the storms of life and accept all responsibility for one’s own decisions. Always.

So what Still Needs to Go?

You know if you still have something to forgive if when you think of a person or a situation, there is a burning feeling inside. It feels like a searing sensation brought on only by thought. Sometimes you can not handle it, but then when something comes on you as a surprise, the burn is still there.

 The Universe has a way of presenting you with things you need to work on without looking too hard. People cross your path every day, and the thoughts and feelings that jump to mind immediately about them will determine how much forgiveness you are sending them today. If an er is an immediate, honest feeling, it needs a little more work to find a real solution.

poetry-picnic-wk-19-forgiveness Your reaction could be inappropriate and shocking. These reactions tell you that you are looking at the situation as someone else’s fault, not yours. It doesn’t matter what you perceived to have happened; take responsibility. To com lain or place the blame somewhere else will steal all of your power.

Please take a moment and forgive the entire situation and then let it go. It is not your problem anymore. You will also be glad because being responsible is a good feeling and one of strength and power. It is a feeling that is difficult to describe if you truly forgive and no longer blame anyone else for situations and accept them as situations. There is no more prolonged anger, fear, hate, or frustration, and you can fill those spaces with other, more positive things.

Letting Go

At this point, I hope that I have sufficiently taken responsibility for everything I may have done or been perceived to have done wrong at any point in my life. I can not control what others think of me; in fact, it is none of my business. The way others treat you is because of their programming, not yours. So don’t take it very personally. It isn’t worth it.

In the end, my philosophy can be summed up, that life is a short ride, and to get the most out of it. You have to process and move past the complex parts to enjoy the rest of the ride and learn and experience what you have the good fortune to experience. Love is h d to find in a soul that is worried about revenge and payback.

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer familiar suffering.”-Thich Nhat Hanh

“Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows one to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.”-Melody Beattie

“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”–Guy Finley

 

22

Forgive

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Forgiveness For You
Forgive And Move On

Forgiveness Your Greatest Weapon

Perhaps the most significant power you have as a human being living on this Earth is the power to forgive. No matter what has been done to you, said about you, or taken from you, that loss, anger, and the problem will be a part of you. Until you wholly and thoroughly forgive the person you perceive responsible for whatever misfortune you encountered and release it from you.

Moving On

Forgive and Move On
Your Gift For The World

Before you can ever really start moving on with your life and grow, it is necessary to forgive everyone in your life for any wrong, accurate, or perceived. I know it sounds drastic and challenging, but it needs to be done to move on in life.

Forgive them sincerely, and you will find that weight will be lifted off your shoulders. In life, it seems inevitable that somebody will do something that will appear to be a slight to you, or it could be downright vicious.   Holding onto that thought of anger and holding a grudge against someone will only make you less of a person and stop you from reaching your potential. Bitterness is all that you will gain if you harbor ill feelings about anyone, and your life will be less because of it.

Throwing Hot Coals

Anger Burns The One Who Holds It
Anger Burns The One Who Holds It

Being angry at someone for something that they did, either real or perceived, will end up hurting you in the end. I heard it described as trying to throw a lump of hot coal at someone you are mad at. Perhaps you will hit them, and they might be hurt, but the only guarantee in this transaction is that you are the one who is going to be destroyed.

There are few things in life more difficult than letting go of our anger. Anger helps us cope and allows us to feel like we have power. When in reality, you are giving all of your power away. You are allowing someone else’s words or actions, determine your feelings. All you have to do is let those feelings go and forgive. All of your power is then yours.

Experiencing Peace

It is probably unreasonable to think that you can forgive everyone for everything immediately.   Like any journey, you need to start with a tiny step and then take another and keep on moving.   The momentum of your trip will build as you go. Slowly but surely, take back control of your feelings, relationships, and life.

What I have found is that when you remove the anger, the energy you previously spent on festering anger and perpetuating the negative thoughts about someone else is better and easier spent on focusing on the great things about people in your life. I feel luckier and better off because of it.

Avoid The Negative, Follow the Positive

forgive and choose love
It is YOUR choice

Forgiveness will help you release all negative thoughts and feelings that can negatively impact your life. Suppose you spend your time thinking about things that perpetuate anger, fear, worry, hate, revenge, avarice, or grief. In that case, you are focusing on the negative, and it isn’t easy to be optimistic about your future when that is your focus. These emotions need to be avoided. If you are experiencing anger about something, you have the choice to let it go. If you feel fearful about something, let it go. Experiencing fear will not fulfill you or make your life whole. Let it go; you will find there was nothing to be afraid of in the first place. Worry is the same. Most of the time, fear is wasted effort 92% of the time. (read the explanation here).

Replace those thoughts with those of goodwill, sympathy, kindness, good cheer, or any idea emanating from a spirit of love, and you will be much happier. Forgive whoever wronged you for whatever they did and replace thoughts of anger and revenge with ideas of understanding and respect. You will improve your quality of life and the quality of life of all those around you.

How You Know Forgiveness Has Truly Happened

Just saying that you forgive someone is not enough for true forgiveness. It is a start, but to forgive someone and move on, you have to release all negative energy surrounding whatever event occurred.   The heat test will allow you to know if you have sufficiently done this or not. It is simple and fools proof. Think about a person or an event, and if you feel any searing pain or emotion about the activity or the people involved, you are not done with them. If you honestly experience feelings of love, peace, and well-being, forgiveness has taken place.

Quotes on Forgiveness

“Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but yourself.” – Harriet Nelson.

“Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge.” – Isaac Friedmann

“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.” – Louis B. Smedes

“Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” – Norman Cousins

“Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.” – Hannah Arendt

“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” – Indira Gandhi

“Genuine forgiveness does not deny anger but faces it head-on.” – Alice Duer Miller

“As long as you don’t forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy a rent-free space in your mind.” – Isabelle Holland

“Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.” – Cherie Carter-Scott

“Forgiveness is like faith. You have to keep reviving it.” – Mason Cooley

“Only the brave know how to forgive. … A coward never forgave; it is not in his nature.” – Laurence Sterne

“Remember, you don’t forgive someone for his or her sake – you forgive them for your sake.”

“Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, nor does it mean that you’ve given the message that what someone did was okay. It just means that you’ve let go of the anger or guilt towards someone or yourself. But that can be easier said than done. If forgiveness was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.” – Katherine Ponder

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” – Bryant H. McGill

“A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.” – Robert Quillen

“Forgiveness is me giving up my right to hurt you for hurting me.” – Anonymous

“Sincere forgiveness isn’t colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don’t worry whether or not they finally understand you. Love them and release them. Life feeds back truth to people in its own way, and time-just like it does for you and me.” – Sara Paddison

“Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast.” – Marlene Dietrich

“Forgiveness is the giving, and so the receiving, of life.” – George MacDonald

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Louis B. Smedes

“We are all on a lifelong journey, and the core of its meaning, the terrible demand of its centrality is forgiving and being forgiven.” – Martha Kilpatrick

“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” – Robert Muller

“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain

“Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.” – Oscar Wilde

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” – William Arthur Ward

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boese

“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” – William Blake

“If you can’t forgive and forget, pick one.” – Robert Brault

“He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” – George Herbert

“Without forgiveness, life is governed by… an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.” – Roberto Assagioli

I still would do whatever it takes…………..

 

22

Suspending Your Belief

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There is a skeptic in everyone. The voice inside questions the validity of everything and the intentions of everyone. It is natural to doubt things because we protect ourselves from avoidable forms of suffering. There are times it is appropriate to have questions about something. Otherwise, people would continually take advantage of you. But like everything, there is a balance you have to strike in life, to selectively suspend your disbelief to allow new ideas to reach you. Think of the great things you might experience if you allowed just a little bit of change into your consciousness.

We Suspend Belief All the Time

One of the great things about this process is we have a lot of practice at suspending belief. Any time you watch a movie or show on Netflix, you suspend belief. You know the situations you are seeing are not happening in reality and that the people you are watching are only pretending to be the characters you are viewing.

Yet, people are still moved to tears by the action that unfolds. People allow their emotions to rise and fall with the characters’ plight on the screen. A viewer can sympathize and empathize with a fictional character, suspending your belief in the experience. How many people have seen a good movie and think that a pleasant experience? This is a skill I am encouraging you to develop in other areas of your life.

Growth Comes With New Ideas

I often break life down into simple things for me to be able to understand my journey better. When it comes to development, you go one of two ways, growth and getting better or stagnation and getting worse. There are very few times we are sitting in neutral and staying precisely the same. Growth can happen naturally, like when you are a child, all you have to do is wait for time to work its magic, and a person physically transforms throughout their life.

Intellectually it is not that simple. Without new input, we are sentenced to experience the same old things. Suspending belief for a short time to allow further information to enter your intellect will allow you to evaluate things rationally. Each piece of data can be weighed and measured, and one can choose to use it or not. Either way, they understand it, and there will be natural growth in that understanding.

Stubborn

I have often been accused of being stubborn about my beliefs in life. People like to hang onto the known because it gives them a false sense of security. If the recent pandemic has taught me anything, we have no idea what security is. Everything you know can be wiped away in an instant. It is up to us to learn what information is valuable and what is not.

Growth can result from any suffering if we allow for the addition of new information, new experiences, and unique points of view. I know not one person who has experienced no change over the past two months. It has been stressful for many, looking outside and seeing danger everywhere, and some have found strength. If I can handle this, then I can take anything. Facing this new situation with only the past paradigms will lead to a frightening and frustrating experience. Allow further information in, then decide for yourself what makes sense. Let your heart determine what actions are right for you and whatnot.

Conformity Is Limiting

The choice to avoid new information or, worse, only to accept the point of view of someone else (the media, the government) leaves you with nothing but limitations. There is a comfort in conformity, everyone agreeing on a mode of action. Anything different is frowned upon or even outlawed, but we will get the answer to cure the problems we face through nonconformists. It won’t come through hanging onto the past. It won’t come through judgment, ridicule, or treating people poorly.

I have seen many efforts to force conformity on everybody since mid-March. Many celebrities and government officials urge people to stay home, social distance, wash their hands, and wear a mask. I am sure there is value in all of these things, but we don’t have enough information to know how this will all play out. Unfortunately, that will never happen until this is all over, and then we can say what should have happened, which didn’t. Anyone who claims to know what will happen is fooling themselves.

Growth Recipe

I am for letting people operate at their level of comfort. If the current circumstance frightens you so much, being in public makes you nervous, then stay home and avoid all of this whenever necessary. If you have a higher level of comfort, get out and see what the world is doing. It has been my experience. Life is full of challenges, illness, uncomfortable moments, and fear. Overcoming them is a part of growth, and following the crowd blindly is a recipe for disaster.

Today, try to suspend your belief and allow something new to filter into your reality for just a short time. Try to challenge the paradigms you are living through and see if a method makes no sense. You may find you were right all along, and learning this is also growing. If you do the same things you always have done, think the thoughts you have ever felt, and believe what you have always accepted without question, it leads to stagnation. Any belief we hold without question will end up limiting you. You may have the correct answer for everybody if you suspend your belief for a second and allow a new breeze of thought to blow through your mind.

“It is not disbelief that is dangerous to our society; it is belief.”-  George Bernard Shaw

“It is now life and not art that requires the willing suspension of disbelief.”-  Lionel Trilling

“The more you can create that magic bubble, that suspension of disbelief, for a while, the better.” – Edward Norton

“I guess love is the real suspension of disbelief.” – Melissa Bank

 

22

To Give

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Giving and Gratitude- You must provide to receive.

One of the better-known but often forgotten forces in the universe is giving and gratitude. These are two separate things but work together to bring a lot of good into the world. The old is replaced by the new as a person lets go of something without reservation, allowing for something new to enter its place. You can only hold on to so much at a time. What if the things you are grasping onto are old, outdated, or heavy and cumbersome. The only way to move to something new is to give them away freely. Then when new things arrive in your life, practice a pure, honest feeling of gratitude for them. This simple process will help you live a more fulfilled life. Develop an attitude of giving and receiving that keeps the energy of life flowing around you.

Mentality of Giving

It is easy to say, “Give!” to someone else, but there are always issues when it comes to yourself. If you have had feelings of lack your whole life, those will have to be conquered. Scarcity is not just referring to finances, it can also be applied to love, caring, nurturing, or any other aspect of life. When we fear there isn’t enough for us, we develop a lack mentality. It is a catch 22 because there won’t be anymore if you hold onto what you have for fear. There probably won’t be anymore.

The mentality of giving is that you can give freely and without fear because there is no lack in the world of what you seek or desire. If you give freely and without a doubt, what you need will come back to you in all areas that you provide. It will also allow for new and exciting things to enter your life. This can be intimidating and scary because change is always a little unsettling. But to keep your positive energy flowing, giving is a must. Give with an open heart and mind and expect nothing in return. All you need will come to you.

Gratitude is the Thing

How often do you look at someone else and envy what they have? It is a waste of time looking outside and being envious or angry because someone else has something you would like. Look at your life, enjoy the things you have, and feel grateful for them. All of us have something to be thankful for. The basics, eyes to see, ears to hear, food to eat, a place to live, freedom, love, family, or anything else has come into our lives. If you don’t appreciate what you have, why would you attract more into your life? Learning to be appreciative is a skill that is not taught to many but needs to be determined.

Honest feelings of gratitude are essential to practice every day. Note a grateful sense in your mind for all the things you have that make your life better. If you do this consistently, you can’t help but be in a good mood. We all have something. The joy that gratitude can bring will make life a better experience and allow for more things to be grateful for coming into your life. It has been a tradition in many religious teachings to count your blessings because you will see what has already been created for you. Knowing all the things already coming your way allows more positive things to enter your life.

The Good of Giving

Many people think having a lot of money will make them great, or having a powerful job will give them respect, but the truth of the matter is that how much you give to the world is going to determine your value to it. Our view of life can get blocked by pursuing material goods and financial well-being. There is nothing wrong with having money, but giving is also essential for energies to flow.   Giving is also something that becomes contagious. Giving something to someone often sparks them to give to someone else.

Giving also makes all parties happy. It feels good to offer, and it feels good to receive. If you look at the act itself and perform it with a pure heart, then the benefits of giving will shine through. Joy and happiness are the results. The only way they can’t is if fear enters the picture. Either the person giving is afraid they will never receive anything back. Or the person receiving is worried about what the gift means. Either way, give because you want to accept someone did something beautiful for you and let the process spread the happiness it should.

Take some time today and think of ways that You can give. Compliments, caring, Kindness, understanding, or love are all excellent ways to provide that cost nothing at all but a bit of thought and consideration. Receive all of these things as best you can and know that they are given positively. Smile and spread positive feelings to those that you come in contact with. Giving is the first step in receiving, and gratitude is the doorway it walks through.

“The heart that gives, gathers.” Tao Te Ching

“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”- Khalil Gibran.

“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”- Lao Tzu.

“Don’t wait for other people to be loving, giving, compassionate, grateful, forgiving, generous, or friendly, lead the way.” Steve Maraboli

 

22

What is Your Direction?

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trustprocessAll things are changing at all times. Absolutely nothing or nobody stays as they are right now. Either something is moving in a positive direction, or they are becoming less favorable, and your life is a reflection of the transformation you are currently experiencing.

Personal wealth, health, and relationships are developing each day, and your choices fuel that process one way or another. Fortunately, we are creators and can take charge of the transformation process. Here are six factors that lead to change in a positive direction. All of our lives are an exact replication of who we are on the inside. If you don’t like what you are experiencing, you have no one to blame but yourself. The optimistic view is that you will be able to make changes on the outside and in your experience by changing the way you think and the thoughts you entertain. That is totally up to you.

What you focus on grows.

If you are not where you want to be right now, your attitude is one of the first places to look for change. Often your focus will determine where you are in life. Focusing on what you don’t have or what is going wrong will invite more of that into your life. Concentrating on what you want in life will bring more of that into your life. Be grateful, loving, accepting, kind, and understanding, and avoid hateful, judgmental, transform-yourselfangry, or limiting thoughts, and you will see transformation occur in your life.

Where your focus is will lead to the flow of energy. If you live in fear of loss or worry consistently about what may happen, you will experience the worst side of life. Remember, focusing on the thoughts and things you want to happen in your life will allow you to develop your reality in a way you would like. You are either in control of your existence or reacting to the things that happen to you.

Always be Better

In life, transformation in a positive way is called Growth. Each of us has the opportunity to grow every day. Growth sometimes happens naturally in life, but we need to seek it more often. Seeking it can be as simple as spending time in nature or reading a book with crucial information you need.

Or it could come through watching a video in the instruction of something positive. The growth provides excitement, and as you expand into it, the transformation will be a positive thing in your life. Growing is the force that brings your dreams and goals into reality. Always strive to be a better version of yourself because it will lead you to find your talents and gifts in the world.

Develop Positive Beliefs

What we genuinely believe colors our reality and dictates what we can experience. If your life is not moving in a positive direction, then look at your beliefs. Many of our limiting beliefs have been developed through the conditioning of our youth. Parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, peers, and the media have given us the rules that our consciousness accepts as accurate.

It is vital to a positive transformation that we recognize the limits and understand that we can change them at any moment. Developing these positive beliefs and replacing limiting beliefs allow a person to experience a real and positive transformation regarding money, love, health, or anything else.

Practice Gratitude and Appreciation

Another factor in positive transformation is learning to practice gratitude and appreciation for the things you have in your life. Looking at the right things and being appreciative of them will allow more of those things to show up in your life. Be a consistent giver of gratitude, and your transformation will be moving in a positive direction almost effortlessly. It allows you to see better and making a daily list of these things gets you to look for something to be grateful for throughout your experience. The human mind can only entertain one thought at a time. When those thoughts are negative, focus on things that you appreciate right now. Appreciation will bring you to a positive level.

It allows you to see better and making a daily list of these things gets you to look for something you are grateful for throughout your experience. The human mind can only entertain one thought at a time when those thoughts are negative; your experience will follow. Focus on things that you appreciate right at this moment. Appreciation will bring you to a positive level. You can’t be both negative and positive at the same time, you can only choose one, and that choice is up to you.

Avoid Negative Influences

A simple method for positive transformation is to avoid negative influences in your life. It seems simplistic but looks at the people in your life and the activities you participate in and evaluate them honestly. If you have friends that are engaging you in gossip or negative talk about others, it will bring negativity into your life.

The activity which causes you to judge others is harmful to your existence. Avoid these negative influences and add more positive things to your life. Either change the conversation with a cynical friend or change your friends to those who are more optimistic. If you watch television, which focuses on negative thoughts and feelings, watch something else. Positive transformation is as simple as changing the channel.

Be Kind to Yourself and Others

Finally, being kind is a simple method to transform your life positively. Kindness is free; it feels right for everyone involved; it is fat-free and delicious. You can’t get or give too much of it. Judgments of others move us away from kindness, which drives us negatively. Look at someone who annoys you or bothers you and then send them service, and you will see your transformation take place.

Our judgments and anger toward others only hold us back. Practice kindness and send love toward others. That is also true in how you treat yourself. We are often our own worst critics and are not supportive at all. Look at the way you speak to yourself and temper it toward kindness. Being kind toward yourself will be an essential factor in your ultimate happiness. When you choose between compassion and something negative (judgment, anger, meanness, etc.) BE KIND!!!!

  

 

    

 

      

 

22

The Numbers

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challenges-make-life-interesting

Age is just a number. However, some numbers are much more intimidating than others, and turning 50 is one. It happened to me a few years ago and to a friend of mine just this week.

To me, at this milestone, I have conflicting feelings. I assume all people are the same. I have fears and insecurities about life, just as I did when I turned 40, 30, 20, or even 10. Hopefully, I have developed tools and learned lessons that have helped me positively navigate the aging process—embracing the experience. Reflection is one of the tools that I use to understand the value of an incident. To take that lesson into living my life every day.

Challenges

Life is designed to bring a series of challenges we all have to navigate. Each challenge presents us with choices. Choices challenges and choicesthat define our lives. A problem may overwhelm us, crush us, and destroy our confidence if we allow them to. However, there is always another choice. To seek the better version of ourselves and choose to rise and live our lives in a way that reflects the best version of the living. These choices we have been making from the beginning and will continue to build until we reach the inevitable end. The challenges we face and the choices we make about them will dictate the experience of our lives.

People tend to keep their most painful lessons to themselves. This secrecy is to keep up a perception that we are in control. Handling all events efficiently and with style. In Reality, all people are just making it up as they go. It is self-delusion, and a person believes they understand it all. There is always more, no matter how much one learns, observes, and understands. The vast undiscovered iceberg of knowledge is still floating toward us undiscovered. There is always something else to learn and more growth to achieve.

Growth

To be your best is the ultimate goal of life. Not to accumulate a large cache of material possessions but to become the best version of yourself. That is where the challenges come in. Without change, things become stagnant.

growth is constant
The opportunity for growth is constant.

Often we become so comfortable in life, just the prospect of change is tremendously scary.

Reflection and growth can only come when challenged and forced to take in new information and experiences. Life is a gift, and you need to grow to get the most out of it. The alternative is to shrink a little each day until your gs are challenging to remember and your passion has faded.

Fortunately, it is never too late to recapture the passion for your dream. Your creativity is still there, dormant underneath all of the routine, predictability, and conforming expectation behavior. It is just waiting for you to remember. The sad thing is that many will not remember, but you decide your destiny.

You choose your path and direction. You allow life’s experience to push you. Will you fight or flee? Will you stand proud or hide in shame? Only you can decide.

I have turned 50  and feel I am only at the beginning of things. I am ready for the growth and the challenge of life. I look forward to it, and I embrace it. Regardless of your age, I wonder how you face life.

“There must be a goal at every stage of life! There must be a goal!” – Maggie Kuhn

“Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength” – Betty Friedan

“This is a youth-oriented society, and the joke is on them because youth is a disease from which we all recover.” – Dorothy Fuldheim

“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” – Franz Kafka 

“You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they grow older.” -Anouk Aimee

 

22

In The Moment

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A person may not be able to see it, but at this very moment, at least a thousand thoughts are running around inside our heads. Some ideas are great, and some are, well, thoughts. They are not all deep and meaningful, but they are all ours. In no particular order of importance are beliefs that you might have this day.

Starting the Day

mindfulness
Be mindful of the opportunity today brings

At this very moment, you might be thinking of the quiet that starts every day. It is a space between sleeping and the hurry of the day. This room is the point where a day holds its ultimate potential, and nobody has made one mistake. Even if it seemed impossible, whatever was bothering you the day before has disappeared and been replaced by a small manageable little problem that you know can be dispensed with as quickly as a breakfast sandwich at the start of a day. There is a possibility at this moment that all things can change for the better.

The Little Things

enjoythelittlethingsYou might be thinking, at this very moment, about the little things in life. Often life is not about the big stuff. The big stuff will come along and are scheduled for the most part, and you can plan and prepare for them. The big occasions provide captured images and are saved in photo albums to relive when the mood hits you. The little things are the endless minutia of activity that fills your lives. Daily happenings and encounters that color the flavor of life. Do you take the time to enjoy them?

Do you savor the taste of the food you are eating, or do you eat out of habit? Are you grateful for each thing that you have, or are they all just piled into a group of stuff labeled “things that you deserve”? I believe that the more you appreciate the little things in life, a friend, a talk, a walk, a tree, some flowers, a comfortable seat, a good book, a hot shower, a cup of coffee, or anything else that you experience throughout the day, the happier you will be. Be mindful of each thing you do, and it will have magic to it that contributes to your day.

The Music in My Head

MusicYou might be thinking about the music you like right now and how music makes life much more enjoyable; it touches your soul. It doesn’t matter to me what genre a song hails from. A song enters your life, either make an impression and stays or moves on. I often hear a song, and if I like it, I add it to a playlist that will forever represent this moment in time to me. In the days of burned CDs, I would give them names and write notes on them. Now I write the notes in my head and enjoy the music.

Here is one song I like. Be careful if you listen because it will get stuck in your head—this is one of my all-time favorites thought-provoking songs. Even though I’m not too fond of winter, I love it when it is over.   Music is the language of the soul, and listening to it adds magic to life. What harmony is coloring your life today?

 No Need To Hurry

At this moment, you might be contemplating the fact that the faster you try to go, often the longer it takes to reach your destination. The other day I was trying to force finish an assignment, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get out of my way. The next day I focused and relaxed, and that same job that was so difficult the day before just flowed out of my consciousness and onto the workflow.   It is right in many other aspects of life. Hurry to get there, find the answer, get it done quickly, and you often have difficulty finishing the task. Much like a car moving too fast to catch your exit. Slow down, be mindful of what you are trying to accomplish, and enjoy the ride.   It is often the journey that you remember even more than the destination. Relax and enjoy the ride.

You are Right Where You Should be

urlFinally, at this moment, you may be contemplating the peace that comes from knowing that you are exactly where you should be. We all get caught up in worrying about something that we have no control over many times. We desire to be successful, but no actual definition to let us know when we get there. Then it hits you. “I am right where I should be,” all the events in your life have worked together in concert to bring you to this point, and you should enjoy the moment. Then pause for just a second, feel a sense of appreciation, and then move forward with a feeling of happiness and peace. Be grateful for all of the people you have known, the hurdles you have overcome, the wisdom you have gained from all of the lessons you have learned, both natural and complex.

At this very moment, you are right where you should be. You can’t do any better than that!

 

22

My Darkness

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relax-and-succeed-i-am-grateful-for-the-darknessThere is the gratitude I feel for the downtimes, the darkness, and the sorrows of life. A thank you. That needs to be said and felt.

Why am I grateful for these things? Well, there is no other choice because these things will exist whether I am thankful for them or not. But when you think about it, difficulties and hardships are a vital part of the journey. They reveal much about ourselves, what we are made of, and force us to grow.

Darkness Shows Light

light up the darknessI heard it explained that without the night, the light of a candle would lose the value and unique power that its light provides. When I look back on less enjoyable times to experience, I can see the opportunity to shine within them. As a human being, the challenges life throws at you are tests that allow you to rise higher than you could without the problem or, unfortunately, a chance to be crushed by the difficulties you face.

The most significant people in history resulted from difficult historical times, and the same can be said about your life. The hard times or darkness allow you the forum to shine and succeed.

Make You More Grateful for Good Things

grateful-for-everythingWhen you have things in life that are not pleasant, it makes you appreciate it when things are going pleasantly. If you have had a time of loneliness, companionship feels all that much better. If you have had tough economic times, the gratitude for bountiful times is all the more significant.

These sensations will not exist in their intensity without the contrast of darkness or hardship and downtimes.

Do Not Fear Difficult Things

tough-times-dont-last-tough-people-doOne of the most challenging things to deal with is a fear of difficulties that may come in life. When you look at your life and think that everything is going well, it used to be a time when I would worry a lot. There was nowhere to go but down. Yet, worry didn’t stop problems, hardship, or poor decisions; it only made my enjoyment of the great things in my life more appreciated.

Do not be afraid that hard times may come your way. You always have the strength to pull them through if you can persevere. Keep moving forward with gratitude, and inevitable change will carry you to a better time.

So today, I am grateful for the hard times and the darkness of life because it allows people to rise and shine their light and become great.   My wish for you is happy days and sunny skies and the courage to handle anything that comes your way.

“All things are as they should be, relax and enjoy them.”

 

22

Day of Choice

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today is what you make itEach day you wake up and have a simple choice as to what type of day you will experience. Is it a great day? A good day? A boring day? A bad day? A disappointing day? The decision that you make will determine how your day goes. Our attitude is the most significant factor in how much we experience life, and life is what you choose to make it.

One of the most critical factors that determine our attitude is how we look at our lives and the world. How do you spend your time? Do you look for ways to give to others? American society is make today greatcentered on personal gain. The more you have, the more successful you are. This measurement leaves out a lot of important factors that measure not only your worth but your value to others. Joy and satisfaction often come from what you give to others, and the gain for you is not a monetary one but a spiritual one. Happiness comes from within. Seek opportunities to give to others.

All things each day provide us with the opportunity to find beauty and magic in all things. If you are spending your time destroying others or yourself, you are on the path to failure in reputation or feeling. If you know someone thirsty, give them a drink. If they are hungry, get them some food. If they are feeling low, treat them with kindness. If they need a friend, then be one to them.

Most of us were exposed to all of these values when we were young, but how many of our teachers and role satisfactionmodels practiced them. This practice makes the lesson last and moves the action to a new generation.

You have total control over what type of day you will have. Is this a great day with the unbelievable potential for good? Or is this a day of boredom and perpetual letdowns? You are the one who decides the direction of your day and the course of your life, and your life will be what you make it.

“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” James Dean

  • “Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.” Frank Tyger
  • “Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want.” Alan Cohen
  • “Life is a journey, and if you fall in love with the journey, you will be in love forever.” Peter Hagerty
  • “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2GvPIDe158

Personal Growth, Self Improvement, Positive Thinking