The practice of gratitude involves intentionally focusing on the good things in our lives and expressing appreciation for them. It can be as simple as thinking about the things we are thankful for or writing them down in a journal. While it may seem like a small and insignificant act, the benefits of practicing gratitude are numerous and far-reaching.
One of the gratitude’s most significant benefits is its effect on our mental and emotional well-being. Focusing on the things we are grateful for helps shift our perspective from a negative to a positive one. This can lead to increased happiness, contentment, and overall satisfaction. Gratitude can also help to reduce stress and anxiety, as it allows us to see the good in our lives rather than dwelling on the negative.
In addition to the psychological benefits, practicing gratitude can positively impact our physical health. Studies have shown that appreciation can improve sleep, a more robust immune system, and even lower blood pressure. It can also lead to increased energy and motivation, which can help us be more productive and achieve our goals.
Gratitude can also have a positive impact on our relationships. When we express appreciation for others and what they do for us, it can strengthen our bond with them. It can also make us more likable, as expressing gratitude is often seen as a sign of good manners and a positive attitude.
Finally, practicing gratitude can have a ripple effect, as it can inspire us to be more giving and compassionate toward others. Being thankful for what we have can inspire us to pay it forward and help those in need.
In conclusion, the benefits of practicing gratitude are numerous and far-reaching. It can improve our mental and emotional well-being, physical health, and relationships and inspire us to give more to others. We can significantly improve our overall well-being and happiness by simply focusing on the things we are grateful for each day.
Presented with the opportunity to teach anything I wanted, and assuming that anyone wanted to learn, there is no doubt that I would try to teach a few of the things I have learned from life that I think are important.
There were many important things that I never considered early on in life, which have proven invaluable and nearly vital knowledge today.
These lessons may not be mind-blowing, but I think they are essential for you to be all you want to be in life. Whether you believe they have a place in your life or not is up to you.
1. There is Greatness in You
No matter the circumstance of life, each of us has the potential for greatness inside. How that greatness shows itself is different for everyone, but it is nonetheless. The secret is to find your area of expertise and allow it to grow.
Ignore the limiting thoughts of others. DonDon’tt your own negative self-talk discourage you. Follow the feeling in your heart that tells you quietly and confidently what you should be doing. Know that you are great, and allow it to show. Some of us have hidden our talent for so long that we have forgotten what direction to look or what to look for.
The first step to finding out what your skill set might contain is to start to look for it. Once you do, I have found that things tend to fall together quite naturally to develop and present you with a path to follow.
Before any of that can happen, you have to accept that you have greatness in you with the potential to do whatever you dream of.
2. Love or Fear will rule you.
There are two forces inside each of us, and everything we do comes from them: love or fear. You can choose which one you pay attention to in any situation.
Love is not just romantic love. That is a tiny part of the entirety of the emotion, and it includes all branches of this positive emotion. Kindness, acceptance, joy, peace, love, humility, empathy, and truth are all things that come from this positive force.
Fear is the opposite and leaves its calling cards behind, evil, anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority, and ego. Following these feelings and thoughts will bring more situations to make the same choice. What you think is who you are.
With every situation you encounter throughout life, you will be faced with this simple choice of how you approach it, and your choices will determine what kind of life you experience.
It is important to remember this choice because sometimes you may be in a situation where someone elselse’soice will affect you.
How positive the impact you have in life will, in a nutshell, be boiled down to which of these two opposing forces you align yourself with.
3. Gratitude is the Attitude
I do not know if gratitude can be taught or not, but it is vitally important to have a good life. Often, we spend life looking at what we dondon’tve and wondering why.
This thought pattern will only bring more awareness to what you dondon’tve. Since you spend all of your thought on the lack in your life, that is precisely what you will continue to experience.
The alternative is to focus on what you do have, and even if it isnisn’tch, being genuinely grateful for what you do have will open the door’ for more to come into your life. Since your thoughts are about gratitude and being thankful, the world will find a way to see that you experience more of these things.
Being grateful is recognizing what you have and experiencing some joy about it. Being grateful will allow you to enjoy that thing and experience a feeling of joy surrounding it.
If you are experiencing joy, even on a small scale, it is hard not to be happy. If you are happy, well, isnisn’tat the purpose of this little game called life? I think it should be, and I am grateful to be able to tell you this.
4. Live in the Present Moment
Speaking of being happy, you must learn how to live in the moment. That means you are aware of and appreciate what is happening in your life. It would seem simple to do, yet very few people do it.
Distractions take out minds to all sorts of places rather than where we are. You cancan’tjoy today if your mind is lost in yesterday or tomorrow. If you arearen’tesent, then your happiness will evade you.
Look at people walking down the street today; most are focused on anything other than where they are. On the morning commute, almost every eye is looking at their phone or Apple Watch searching for something that is not with them.
The present moment and all that it has to offer is ignored for a fantasy of thought that takes you anywhere, but at the moment, you are actually in.
This is important because if you live your life half aware of what is going on right in front of you, it will be challenging to experience long-lasting happiness. Simply because if your joy is in the past or uncertain future, it is not with you right now.
conclusion
I would include many other lessons in my lesson plans for life, but that will have to wait for another day. I am grateful to all of you who have read to this point! You just made my day! Remember that the end game of life is to be happy. So if you are making decisions or having thoughts and experiences that arearen’trking to that end, you need to change them. You have the power to do this anytime you want, and you have to like it.
Reflections on the way things used to be…….. lead to knowledge
This human experience can be confusing. As we try to figure out where we fit in, something changes, and we are left looking for a new equation that will lead to our success, acceptance, and happiness. But we spend time choosing and creating narrow attachments and expectations for the outcomes. If something doesn’t work out just like we think it should, that is bad, and we choose to be unhappy. When I let go of how I think the world should be and accept it, I can also find the good in each moment.
Suffering
Life is going to bring its share of challenges. No person will live for an extended period, having everything go just perfectly. If they did, there would be no opportunity for personal growth or self-development. You would be stagnant, just as you were. It w, and it is like continually being a child with no developing maturity. Suffering comes from the thought that what is happening in your life is not as you think it should be. Something is wrong and needs to be fixed. This can result from any challenge which shakes your reality.
It can be a relatively minor thing, like an annoying co-worker, to a big something like a loved one’s death. The idea you need to fix things because they are wrong will lead you to fear, worry, insecurity, resentment, criticism of others, criticism of yourself, tensions, stress, and all things which lead to dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
What if you didn’t do that?
The alternative is to open your mind and develop a broader vision of life and the things it brings your way. Perhaps the experience you are having, no matter how unsavory or harmful, is precisely what is best for you now. You don’t have to like it, but not wanting something won’t make it go away. Dealing with the present moment will allow you to become better.
Living in the present moment, not worrying about what the future will be, or regretting the past, will allow you to make choices that honor the present and see where true fulfillment comes from. It isn’t attached to the events swirling around your life. A “good thing” here makes you happy. A “bad thing” makes you unhappy. Realizing they are all just things to which you give meaning through your mental conditioning, expectations, and attachments.
Your Power
This doesn’t mean you accept someone treating you poorly; when this occurs, you don’t take it personally as an indictment of your value and see it as a clear issue of the person mistreating you. A loved one’s death is a sad occasion, but feeling bad won’t bring anyone back to life; the reality of the situation is what it is. How you deal with it, move on from it, and see your gratitude for the departed person’s influence on your life will allow you to grow and develop your power despite the loss.
Shift of Perspective
It is not an easy shift, moving your perspective from one of the ego-defined expectations to source-centered acceptance. If a life of fulfillment is your ultimate goal, then some movement in this direction is warranted. It will allow you to not drift to and from happiness to sadness based on the things occurring outside of you. Living like this gives all the power to those things. Never knowing from moment to moment if you will have the rug pulled out from underneath you or not.
Learning to see events as things outside of you and not letting them define your happiness is a rare power. Not identifying with our conditioned expectations, we can approach all situations with an open mind and heart. This will bring on feelings of acceptance, well-being, and ease about the events of your life. They are things that happen, not defining points of your character. In this understanding and practice, one will probably realize that life is, in fact, OK, just as it is. What if our most feared moments are just opportunities to grow?
I don’t know about you, but finding happiness in life depends on my perceptions of things and the people around me. When you focus your actions around the things you can control (inside/out)and avoid letting the stuff outside of your experience, you can’t control the behavior you are living outside in. You will continually find yourself living at the whims of the things that happen to you rather than dictating what you would like to happen to you.
There seem to be two choices in life. Either I live from the outside in or from the inside out. The choice dictates how large the portion of happiness I experience at any particular time is. But what does it mean to live from the inside out? There are factors we can control in life and others outside of us that we do not. We are blessed with the choice of the outside or inside dominating our consciousness, so we control the amount of happiness we experience. Awesome!
From the Outside In Not Finding Happiness
Too often, We can find ourselves allowing the things and the people who come into our lives to dictate our mood. A great example of this would be when a person cuts you off in traffic, and you let that act affect your mood negatively, your anger rises, and you let your whole day get away from you. When we allow others’ decisions and choices to dictate our moods and actions, we are far from finding happiness in life. It can be the same as the people we care about. If they are in a bad mood for no fault of your own or are mad about something else, it is all out of your control.
That leads to me not taking responsibility for my life. It is too easy to send blame in the direction of whatever or whoever has changed my mood. I blame the traffic, blame the crowd, blame loved ones, or blame my friends. All of these are a cop-out because the only one who can choose to be angry or suffer because of someone else’s act is you. All you can control in this situation is your reaction to someone or something. Make sure it comes from a place of love. Finding happiness starts with accepting responsibility for our actions and lives, which means seeing the outside influences for what they are.
From the Inside Out
This is when you are at your best because the opposite of what is described above is happening. All thoughts and emotions about life events come from inside, and we choose their influence on us. We do not have to be angry unless we decide to be. There is no need to be frustrated unless we choose to be. We don’t have to let the non-stop external stimulus dictate our mood because the choices are made from our positive perspective, accepting full responsibility for all aspects of our lives. When your emotions radiate from inside yourself out, they will be more positive, and they will also radiate outward from you either positively or negatively.
This is the ultimate responsibility because when you choose the reactions that you experience, your true self is allowed to come through. Each of us has this ability, but it gets clouded through the lens of what society has told us is essential, rather than making decisions based on what we feel is right or wrong. There is no unhealthy attachment to things outside of you because you’re living from the thoughts, words, and actions inside of yourself.
You Are The Shot Caller for Finding Happiness
Whatever Walter White says goes!
Living from the inside out allows us to be the best representation of ourselves that we can be. What the media tells you about how you should look no longer matters. Finding happiness does not come from what “they” tell you to do, be or look like; it isn’t relevant anymore. What they ask you to enjoy isn’t a part of your story anymore (unless you allow it), and you are becoming your best self if you pay attention to the thoughts and emotions that radiate from you.
You are responsible for your moods and emotions because what you think, say, and do comes from inside you and radiates in waves out into the world rather than the other way around. Your inner goodness is a force that needs to be shared with the world. We are all happier when we focus on what we can control and make good choices and leave the things we can’t control, helping ourselves and others find happiness. Please focus on the things you can manage and push them in the direction you want to go. You have no idea what power you possess until you focus on deploying it in a valuable and vital way from the inside out.
“You can’t teach anybody anything, only make them realize the answers are already inside them.”
– Galileo Galilei
“How soon will you realize that the only thing you don’t have is the direct experience that there’s nothing you need that you don’t have?”
– Ken Keyes, JR
“Uncertainty is the only certainty, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.”
— John Allen Paulos
“If the only thing people learned was not to be afraid of their experience, that alone would change the world.”
— Sydney Banks
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
— Maya Angelou
In all things, we are either getting better or worse. Wisdom is one of the factors in our lives that determines the soundness of our actions or decisions, based on our use of the experience we have, the knowledge we have acquired over the years, and the excellent judgment we have produced. When do you know that you are wise? When do you know that your decisions are sound? It takes some thought and effort to evaluate everything we experience in life.
Thoughts to Seek
Our minds are a powerful tool, producing a non-stop stream of thought left unguarded or unwatched; it has just as much negative energy as positive energy. Our mind reacts to the input you give it. From the books, you read, shows you watch, games you play, or people you choose to spend your time with. All have input into the machine of the mind. Like children, our thoughts will run wild and unruly without discipline. There are thoughts you can choose to seek, which will make you stronger.
Any thought that weakens you in any way should be avoided and eliminated. How can you control what you think? In some ways, you can’t, but what you can do is choose the thoughts you pay attention to. When a negative thought comes up, and you know it doesn’t serve you become your best self. Let them slide by you without addressing them. Then move your thoughts to something that does move you toward your best self. Invest your energy into these thoughts and follow where they lead you. And your thoughts will become a more valuable and powerful commodity.
Which Thoughts are the Right Ones
Recognizing the thoughts you should hold onto is easier than you might think. Look simply at the source and result of the thought. Does it come from fear? Or does it come from love? It is easy to recognize which is which. Thoughts of fear are negative and bring with them all the downside of fear. Anger, envy, sorrow, regret, arrogance, self-pity, dishonesty, arrogance, false pride, and ego are thoughts you should let slide by you. While thoughts of peace, acceptance, happiness, joy, humility, kindness, serenity, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. These are the thoughts you want to pay attention to.
The paradox is that no matter what you do, all of these thoughts exist daily within each of us. It is the ones we give our attention to which will dominate our lives. Every person will represent their dominant thoughts or the ones they choose to focus on. If fear is your predominant thought pattern, the negative list will be on your way to feeling happy. When you are worried about what you are getting out of something, it will generally be negative. When you are concerned about what you give to a situation, it will probably be a positive experience. These thoughts empower you and allow you to enjoy the knowledge that life is providing you.
Why It Is Important
It is essential to know that you control which thoughts you focus on because if you are entertaining a constant flow of fear, they will eventually wear you down. You will slip more and more into a mindset of fear allowing all of the negative things above to creep into your reality. For example, hating someone will wear you down, make your reality less enjoyable, and never once harm your enemy. Letting these things dominate leads to easy anger, needless conflict, and general unhappiness.
Learn to embrace the positive in you and follow those thoughts, and you will see the enjoyment of your life improve. Rather than fearing getting robbed of something or not getting your fair share, you will be looking at what you can share. The positive thoughts allow a person to live in harmony with the things around him and not let needless anger cloud their judgment. Wherever you are in your mental world, please take a moment and evaluate it and remember.
We are constantly getting better or worse, and the thoughts we choose to pay attention to in each moment will determine both the level of our improvement and the amount of enjoyment we get in life.
“Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.” – Roy T. Bennett.
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.” – William James.
“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” – Roy T. Bennett.
“The positivity in our life is a function of our thinking. So think positive, stay positive!”
What if you were present today? What would that look like?
Every day, we make simple choices to either be present in our experiences or attempt to take our minds to another place and experience something outside of the moment. It is effortless to allow your mind to drift into distractions and never really notice all of the people and things happening in your life right at this moment. Presence is defined as “the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing.” It seems like this would be easy to accomplish at all times, but we have created all sorts of shiny distractions to stop us from experiencing the things in our lives right now.
Smartphones, scrolling social media, video games, and television entertainment on any electronic device keep us in fantasy and stop us from being in the moment. There is nothing wrong with doing this once in a while, but you start to forget who and what you are when it becomes the norm. You are never using the tool of your mind for what it is good at, which is solving problems and creating the best reality possible. Let’s try to get into the present moment.
Distractions
All people have something that distracts them from being present. That is a part of being human. We can go to different places with our minds. It is not necessarily a bad thing to escape; sometimes, imagination can be constructive to create what you want in life. But when the distractions of life cause you not to be present, you are not living the life you have. What are your distractions? Video Games? Movies?Low Vibrational Television? Alcohol? Drugs? Whatever you do to move out of the moment continually is the distraction you choose.
If we are not present at the moment, then we are never able to deal with the issues that cause us pain and suffering in our lives. Distractions work as a pain relief for these things. Making them bearable but never helping you deal with things bothering you, allowing more negative emotions and thoughts into your life. Distractions take your attention away, but those things are always there, waiting for you when the madness ends.
You can practice being present by continually looking at your focus throughout the day. Notice where your thoughts are. Are they drifting off to the past and a happy or sad event from your memory? Are they drifting to a future dream where you have achieved a goal or are doing something you are looking forward to experiencing? Either way, you are not in this moment if you are there. Once you notice you are not in the moment, you are now there. Doing this for an entire day and documenting what distractions are on your mind will allow you to be more present in your life, deal with issues you have, and let your account help solve problems you face.
What Do You Crave?
When you identify with your mind and the thoughts it creates, whatever cravings pop up, you are those cravings. The distraction, the drink, the drugs, the games, the food, or whatever the desires have become who you are. A Craving occurs when your mind seeks fulfillment in external things for you to feel whole. Most people have wounds from their emotions, and our cravings and distractions remove our focus from these things. People desire to be free of worry, care, and pain, but when you allow your desires and cravings to become attachments, you will not be able to experience the joy of just being.
The joy of this moment is natural to experience, but you have to make an effort to get your consciousness involved. Let your thoughts go. They are not going to help. Look at where you are right now and note all the things that are there. The sun, anything that grows, other people, a good cup of coffee, the ability to create, or any of the other things in this moment that you can experience are all there for you. There is no need to become free of all your desires but to become present in the moment. Some moments are more enjoyable than others, but all of them offer you some experience. Too often, we are too distracted by the things we crave. We let the moment pass us by, unnoticed and unappreciated.
Creativity for Health
Being creative is one of the most powerful things we have to bring us into the moment and appreciate our essence and how we can relate to the world. If you don’t create regularly, start. It is a way for your soul to express itself. Write, draw, paint, sculpt, or design. Whatever form of activity allows you to express yourself provides an opportunity to find your purpose and passion in life. When you are into creating something, and your focus is on that, you are in the moment. At this moment, which is all we are ever guaranteed, time seems to stand still or run without noticing. Being creative is a uniquely human experience, and it exists for a reason.
When you create something where only an idea existed, you are setting precedence in your life. If you can make something where nothing once was in one area of your life, you can do it in another. Our creative powers can be developed and should be used to help you take your life into a new area of exploration. In life, we are either growing and changing or moving in the opposite direction. Being present is essential to get the most out of our time on Earth.
There is no need to label the moment as this thing or that thing. Allow the present moment to be what it is. Like you allow your past to be whatever it was, a learning experience. Accept responsibility for it and move on. Let the future be what it is, possibility. Accept where you are, take responsibility for it, and then take action to accept it all as if you chose it. To carry this attitude through a day is an exciting thing because no matter what you face, you want to be responsible for it. Much like the surfer chose to ride the wave rather than be buried by it.
This process of being in the moment starts when you focus your conscious thoughts on the present moment. It will affect the words you choose to speak to others and the actions you ultimately take. Being present is a skill anybody can develop, and it just takes a little peace of mind and thought.
“As soon as we wish to be happier, we are no longer happy.” ~Walter Landor
“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.” ~Sylvia Boorstein
“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention to. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn
“In today’s rush, we all overthink — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.” ~Eckhart Tolle
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
“When you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ~Lao Tzu
Take a moment, right now, and look at your level of happiness with life. Where does this moment rate? Is there happiness inside you, or are you looking off in the distance for it? Too much time is wasted in the pursuit of finding joy in a job, another person, or something that you own. Happiness doesn’t live in any of those places. Being miserable today to earn pleasure in the future is an equation that will always fail to deliver. Satisfaction is not out there somewhere; it is inside you and can be accessed simply by changing your perspective about your experience and the thought pattern you are following.
Finding happiness, at this moment, is done by becoming conscious of the things that are happening all around you. Having a goal of where to work, the kind of relationship you want, or how much money you want to have are great things but don’t tie your happiness up in them. Being happy today right now is a choice you can make. Use the simple tool of gratitude for what you do have to build positive emotions and happiness.
Make goals and strive to achieve them because a purpose is vital to your whole life. But never forget to enjoy the trip along the way. Each step you go through provides information and experience to help you down the road. Be happy about that. Life is a long game, full of twists and turns. You can choose to be satisfied along the way anytime you want. Don’t postpone your happiness. Embrace it, share it. Today, now, at this moment.
Simple Happiness Activities (They Cost Nothing and Bring Everything)
Be grateful for all the good in your life.- Practice daily gratitude and see all the things you already do have to be happy for, and more will come, and you will be even happier.
Forgive those you perceive to have wronged you. (true or not)- Forgiveness has the power to set you and your emotions free. That is a happy thing.
Give something to somebody.- Giving is vital in the flow of energy in life. And that flow will make you happy.
Accept responsibility for your choices always. You can feel sorry for yourself or choose to take responsibility for where you are right now. Being responsible will make you happy, and feeling sorry for yourself will not.
Live in the moment, Enjoy the little things. Each day will give you small moments of coffee, conversations, sunshine, and blue sky that you can choose to appreciate or ignore.
Shift your focus today if you are feeling unhappy. Look for the good things out there, which are right in front of you. It is a choice to enjoy a sunrise, a sunset, the blue sky, a lake, the ocean, birds flying south for the winter, the warm smile of a friend, good company, or any other little thing you come in contact with during your day. Focus on your thoughts, emotions, words, and actions today, and see what can make you happy today.
What has made you happy today?
Where have you overlooked the chance to be happy?
Happiness Quotes
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” Helen Keller
“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” Abraham Lincoln
“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.”– Anton Chekhov
“Happiness, not in another place but this place…………not for another hour, but this hour.” – Walt Whitman
I should stop being astonished, and there should be a moment where I finally get it. All of the things that happen in life do happen for a reason, and all I need is patience to see what lesson I need to learn.
The problem with me and I think many people are that we spend way too much time planning and plotting to prove how smart we are and not enough time enjoying what is happening in our lives right at this very moment. Or we are just so sure we know what the best outcome for us would be if only the Universe would stop toying with us and make us better.
This post is for the little leaps of faith that people take each day to get to where we are destined to go and hopefully find happiness. I need to remember these faithful spells are available to me at all moments. Too often, I will resort to fear and lack faith. It starts with the thoughts, words, and actions we entertain every day to see the wisdom in life.
The Stones Appear From Nowhere
It used to be that I thought you couldn’t do anything unless you saw the next step in front of you. That got me moving through a lot of days of mediocre existence. There were few lows and very few highs, just a constant middling life. I was not open to anything outside of my control. How could it be possible?
Eventually, it got to the point that there was a clear choice in front of me. Stay in this existence for the rest of my life, or move in a new direction where the potential for downtimes was there, but the potential for significant achievements as well. I paused at the crossroads like when I was young, summoning the courage to take the plunge into the cold lakes of Maine in the summer.
I took the first hesitant steps into the unknown, and the adventure of life truly began. I often took those steps out into the foggy mist, and I did not know what was there. I almost always find the feel of a sturdy stone under my feet with each step and open myself up to the wonder of the world. Sometimes I have slipped and fallen. That is the price you pay for excitement and learning something new, but I have also been able to experience jobs, people, and things that I would never have imagined.
Open Your Front Door
It is too easy to look at everyone and mistrust them thoroughly. If you watch the media view of the world, I don’t blame you. It seems like a mass murderer is living around.
Open a door, and you never know who will walk in.
Every corner, but that is a lie. There is a great human being around every corner. You can choose to be suspicious and not trust anyone. But you are limiting yourself.
Often I have made this choice, and sure enough, I was safe enough, but at what cost? How many opportunities for growth did I miss out on? Were there people who could have helped me on my way? I will never know. Instead of keeping the front door locked and bolted all the time, try opening it once in a while. See who stops by for a visit.
I can’t guarantee you that the people you will meet will be great, but they may be just what you need to experience in your life right now. I don’t know if it is good or bad, but it is my experience that the more people in your life, the more opportunity for growth. So try opening that door.
Master Your Fear and Grow
I probably should have started with fear, but it always makes a good ending. In life, we all struggle with this factor. It is the root of many of our major problems in life, from what job to pursue to whom we should have a relationship. Fear is the factor we must all learn to overcome to have a life. Its potential exists in every person and everything we do.
These leaps of faith, from choosing a new path to giving people a chance in your life, are exercises in conquering fear.
Nobody lives their life free of fear, and it is such a part of our psyche. Sometimes the fear is so ingrained that we don’t even recognize that is what is controlling our behavior. It is hard to open up and give people a chance because they can hurt you, and that is an experience we would all like to avoid.
Learning to recognize when you are experiencing fear and managing it is one of the most significant leaps of faith you can take. You fear because you don’t want to be hurt when you open yourself up, then you may be injured. The risk is worth it because the best way to grow is to take a chance on a path, a person, or overcome fear, and find that you are more powerful than you thought.
Then as you grow, you are willing to take more significant risks and put yourself into a position where you could be hurt again, but accept the opportunity to experience great achievement, love, or anything else that you value.
The choices are really for you to decide. Stay in the safe zone you live in, or take some brave steps into the unknown and see just what growth is coming your way. It all starts with your thoughts, words, and actions.
Grasp your opportunities, and grow like you were meant to!
“Do not constantly spend your time complaining about a problem you may be having or may be up against. Focus your time toward correcting the problem. Always remember, Time values!” Victoria Addino
“Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways.” Twyla Tharp
“I believe that nothing is more important to our ability to effectively address our present than understanding the lessons learned from those who have come before us.” Charlie Gonzalez
“The lessons learned as we try to build ever more sophisticated nanomachines will almost certainly inform our understanding of the origins of life.” Paul McEuen
“I’m thankful for every break in my heart, I’m grateful for every scar, some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned.” Nishan Panwar
Belief- an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
It is essential to understand what a belief is and how it affects our lives. A belief is a thought that we supply an attachment to and accept as true and accurate in our lives. What you choose to believe will determine the foundation of your life, and that is a significant thing because it will lead to your reality. If you have an attachment to a belief limiting your potential, you may never be able to create all you are capable of. Be aware today of all of the expectations we have chosen to accept and how they influence your life. Analyze where they come from and what evidence is there to back them up. This vision begins with a focus on your thoughts, words, and actions around your beliefs and how they influence your behavior and control what accomplishments you will experience. (see video)
Don’t Limit You
All people should value themselves and the gifts they bring to the world. You have a gift to get into the world, and the pursuit of life is to find that gift and allow it to come into the world. It will let you light up and, in turn, brighten the world as well. Too often, we have made beliefs that dim our lights limit our efforts and expectations of what we can accomplish and achieve. These beliefs have as much power to restrict us as we allow them to have. It is always up to you which ideas you actively accept and let slide past. How we feel about our values and abilities is probably the most crucial factor in developing our self-esteem and confidence. Too often, our lights are turned off before we even get a chance to see what we can do because we have decided to accept a limiting belief as accurate, and it isn’t.
People who have chosen to be limited feel the need to limit others and are not fulfilled. Misery loves company, and they consciously or subconsciously deter all others from pursuing theirs. First, because misery loves company, but more importantly, I think if someone else succeeds around them, develops their talents, and finds success, it makes the folly of their limiting belief apparent. That is a scary thing for them. YOU build your self-worth based on how you feel about your abilities, skills, and choices in life. Choose to look at yourself in the best light. It is not arrogant to love yourself, and it is common sense. We should all understand this is the only life you have. Don’t waste your opportunity living the limiting beliefs of others. Change them, forget them, and see how great a person you can be and what great things you can accomplish.
You Can Do It
It is credited to Henry Ford, but I think anyone who has ever endeavored to achieve anything could also say it. “If you believe you can, your right. If you believe you can’t, you are also right.” No more accurate evaluation of our beliefs has ever been made. It doesn’t mean that you will never fail; it means that the “failure” is merely a lesson or a necessary step along the path to ultimate success and fulfillment. If you let a setback destroy your belief in yourself, then you will indeed be limited your whole life. You can choose the path of limit or keep going and see what happens next. Learn and grow.
Make a goal, create a dream, and keep on talking nonstop action toward it. This is the path to success in all areas of history. Very few things will come “easy.” They take effort and work. But isn’t that a pretty simple formula? Cut out the harmful noise of others and keep to your task. If you know that you can become whatever you want, why do we let our beliefs stop us?
Creating Positive Beliefs
You only have a relatively short amount of time in this life. You can choose if you spend it being small because someone else thinks you are unrealistic…….. or you can make an effort and take your chances. People are afraid of those who achieve because they see what they could have achieved if they had believed in their faith and abilities a little more.
Be true to yourself and recognize your beliefs, limiting you and causing you to be modified in your pursuits of fame, money, charity, kindness, or whatever you are looking to create. Recognizing a limiting belief is the first step to changing it and replacing it with one that serves you and your life. You are a great soul seeking expression, and anything or anyone who tells you something that takes away from that limits you.
It is a scary proposition to be responsible for your life, but you are, and if you are not where you wish you were, then take steps to start moving in that direction. It is totally up to you. Create awareness around your thoughts, words, and actions today and see what beliefs dictate your reality and if you are limiting others with your own limiting beliefs.
Quotes on Belief
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
“Tell people there’s an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.” ― George Carlin
“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember, all things are possible for those who believe.”– Gail Devers
“Another belief of mine; that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.” Margaret Atwood
There are so many ways to improve your outlook on life that it is
impossible for me to list them all here for you, but in general, there are a few simple tips I can give you that have made my enjoyment of life increase exponentially.
These are not extremely difficult things to do; solving advanced math problems or rocket science is complicated; finding peace should be simple.
It requires you to honestly look at yourself and the situations that affect how you feel and choose to let events enhance your life, not harm it.
These are three simple practices I have implemented in my own life that have made a living a much more enjoyable experience, and I think you might too. I almost guarantee it. It is all up to you. The steps are acceptance, forgiveness, and peace, and you are on your way to happiness if you want to be.
1. Acceptance is Not Approval
The first thing you have to be able to experience is the acceptance of all that has happened. is was difficult for me because I always believed that by saying I accept a situation, I simultaneously admit the status will never change, and acceptance is not that.
Acceptance does not mean approval, consent, permission, authorization, sanction, concurrence, agreement, compliance, sympathy, endorsement, confirmation, support, ratification, assistance, or even liking whatever it is you are accepting it is merely saying, “it is what it is, and what is, is what is.
Popeye believed the same thing, “I am what I am.” and so does Patriot Coach Bill Belichick when he analyzes a game, “It is what it is.” Until you choose to accept things as they are, realizing and identifying the situation accurately, you will never be able to develop a plan to overcome an obstacle and learn what you need to learn and grow from the experience. Acceptance is the first step and the most important because you will never get to the ultimate destination if you never start a journey.
2. Forgiveness Will Set You Free
Step two in this search for self-discovery is forgiveness. F giving someone for doing something that hurt you or someone you care about can be very difficult to do because we all internalize things that happen to us and take them personally,
Forgive and Free Yourself
but to quote an ancient Chinese Proverb, “Anger is a hot rock that burns the one who holds it.”
To me, this means that the heat of anger, disappointment, jealousy, whatever negative emotion you associate with somebody else’s actions, you have to forgive and let go to move on with your life.
I also have learned that you don’t have to make your forgiveness known to anyone other than yourself. You don’t have to have a ceremony, a rite of passage, or even talk to anybody. All you have to do is forgive whoever you have to in your heart, and you will find you are on your way to finding peace.
If you don’t believe me, try it. Just think about a person you feel has hurt you, then accept whatever the situation is. Then forgive them for whatever they did, or you perceived them to do, truthfully and wholeheartedly. If you are sincere, you will start to feel relief almost immediately.
You can let all of the foolishness of life and the anger that you are carrying around because of the actions of others and experience growth, allowing becoming a better version of yourself. You can even forgive yourself, which is probably one of the first places you should start.
Whatever shortcomings you have had, mistakes you have made, dreams you left disappointed, goals you haven’t reached yet, whatever angers you about yourself, forgive yourself for being human, and accept what has happened.
You will find the road that leads you where you want to go will appear to you almost magically. Forgiveness is simple, but it is never easy because we tend to hang on to things and internalize them, and they become a part of who we are.
Then when you forgive them and let them go, you fight against it because these situations have become a part of our identity, and they have become who we are, rather than something that happened to us or something we did. Forgiving everyone is what I advocate, and moving on to a better place.
3. Peace will Find You
Thirdly, you will find the third almost without any work if you follow these two things. It will come naturally to you, like an inevitable turn in the river you are riding on, and you will encounter peace.
With peace will come freedom from the thoughts you have been carrying around with you. It is simple as thinking: I accept that experience, forgive that experience, and am free. This is where positive thinking will start to emerge in your life.
It was explained to me that just thinking positive thoughts to exclude negative ideas is challenging because you have been having those negative thoughts all your life, whatever they are.
My parents didn’t pay enough attention to me. I am weak. I am always treated poorly in relationships. I am miserable because that’s all I deserve when you accept your thoughts as what they are and forgive them; these negative thoughts are not ignored but instead transformed into ideas of a positive nature. I have found that I am happy most of the time when this happens. Peace is just another word for experiencing inner happiness about who you are, where you have been, and going.
So give this process a try, accept a situation that has hurt you and all the people involved. Forgive t m. All people do crappy things because they are people, and it’s not personal, they are just trying to live their life, and you will find a feeling of peace and understanding. Accept yourself and others for who they are and move.
Quotes About Inner Peace:
“The self is not the individual body or mind, but rather that aspect deep inside each person that knows the truth.” – Swami Vishnu Devananda
“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama
“If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let out a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let o completely, you will have complete peace.” – Ajahn Chan XX century Buddhist Monk
“Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment” – Lao Tzu.
“When there is light in the soul, there is beauty in the person.
There is harmony in the person when there is beauty in the house.
When there is harmony in the house, there is order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.”- Chinese Proverb.
“If you lose touch with nature you lose touch with humanity. If there’s no relationship with nature, then you become a killer; then you kill baby seals, whales, dolphins, and man either for gain, for “sport,” for food, or knowledge. Then, nature is frightened of you, withdrawing its beauty.”- Jiddu Krishnamurti
“To achieve the strength we need in living, an inner life must be lived apart from the world.
To wear the whole world as a loose garment is a key to serenity.
Loosen your hold on earth, its cares, and its worries.
Unclasp your hold on other people and material things.
Let go of resentments, they hurt only you, not the person, persons, or institutions you resent.
Relax your grip, and the tide of peace will flow in.
Live in today, not in regrets over what happened yesterday, not in the fear and apprehension of what tomorrow may bring.
The past is gone as a cloud of dust.
Tomorrow may never come.
We are faced with living just one day…today.
Try to relax, rejoice, and be glad in it!” – (Unknown Author)
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment. – Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor)
“Whenever anyone has offended me, I try to raise my soul so high that the offense cannot reach me” – Rene Descartes.
“A man who is master of himself can mend a sorrow as he can invent a pleasure. I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to be them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” – Oscar Wild
“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
“Nothing is either good, middle, or bad, but thinking makes it so” – William Shakespeare.
“Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows.” – Henry David Thoreau.
The practice of gratitude involves intentionally focusing on the good things in our lives and expressing appreciation for them. It can be as simple as thinking about the things we are thankful for or writing them down in a journal. While it may seem like a small and insignificant act, the benefits of practicing gratitude are numerous and far-reaching.
one. This can lead to increased happiness, contentment, and overall satisfaction. Gratitude can also help to reduce stress and anxiety, as it allows us to see the good in our lives rather than dwelling on the negative.
relationships. When we express appreciation for others and what they do for us, it can strengthen our bond with them. It can also make us more likable, as expressing gratitude is often seen as a sign of good manners and a positive attitude.
What if you were present today? What would that look like? 
