All of us here know the importance of gratitude. It can keep you in the vibration of having enough and feeling… well.. grateful. It also can help you attract what you desire quickly and efficiently.
Staying in gratitude can be a bit tricky. Especially when life does not go according to plan. There have been multiple times I’ve went to Starbucks and they haven’t had coffee. Can you imagine? The biggest coffee chain in the world, and no coffee. I’ve been on my way to work and had my exhaust ripped off by a pile of ice. You wake up to discover your allergies didn’t feel like staying at home today.
What are all these situations? First world problems. What do I mean? I can afford to go to a coffee shop and get a cup of coffee. Hell, I have access to clean water to make coffee. Even the the exhaust fix was expensive, I have a car and the job I was going to. I livewhere there is allergy medicine. Often the world gives us these challenges to remind us how good we have it most of the time. If you think your situation is bad, look around,someone always has it worse.
Too many of us are concerned with being perfect. This could be in any field. Perfect parent, perfect car sales person or perfect best-selling author. What we would be better off focusing on is continually improving.
How about you? In what area are you striving for perfection? Are there ways in which you could simply improve and get better?
“I got this!” Let that be our mantra today. Just three words to remind us that things are not as serious as they may seem. That despite how dire the circumstances may seem, we can overcome them with determination mixed with a little faith.
Whatever the challenge may be, look it straight in the eye and say, “I got this!” Notice the exclamation point at the end of the mantra. This is not one you are going to want to say meekly. Whether it is in your head, under your breath, or at the top of your lungs, say it with some passion and belief!
How many times have you doubted yourself on the ability to make it through a situation? How many times have you actually made it through? Here’s a hint, you’re reading this so you are still here. That means you have made it through 100% of the situations you have faced in life up to this point.
Today, and throughout the week, when facing a tough situation declare these three words, “I got this!” Notice I said declare. Not mention, whisper or say questioningly. Nope. Declare and know that you have made it through100% of the things life has thrown at you. Whatever you are facing is just one more thing, that despite how tough it may look, will not bring you down!
I would love to hear everyone’s definition of what makes their life a masterpiece. There is, of course, no right or wrong answer. Each one of us, much like works of art, are special in their own way.
How about you? What makes your life a masterpiece? Each day we can add to that masterpiece in small and unique ways.
Do you have people in your life that treat you harshly and you cannot figure out why? Let me give you two fine examples from my own life. At my day job, I do my best to bring joy and show appreciation to everyone. There is a couple I work with who seem bent on bringing drama into the work place. We looked at the best way to deal with these people last post. The funny thing is that initially, only the man worked there and we got along great. When he lady started there, everything changed. They make up lies about me to the boss. They even will spend extra energy to do things they feel make my job more difficult. This is not only sad and petty, but a complete waste of energy on their part. Not only do I not waste my time or energy on doing anything to make their workday miserable, I honestly never give them a thought. Unless, of course, it will help me come up with an example for a blog.
Another fun example is this blog. Recently, I shared it on a local social media site. I am in over 200 countries around the world, but it is always good to take care of your own neighborhood. Most of the responses were positive, but like in any crowd, there were a few detractors. It started with a gentleman who accused me on telling him what to think. Informing him that is not what this site is about, he told me that I was an online influencer making money off people for doing nothing. I informed him my site is completely free and is just for leaving the world a better place than I found it. He called me a liar.
What makes these people so cynical and miserable? I do not know their stories, but I am sure there is one. Somewhere they must have picked up on the idea that life is a negative experience. As to why that anger comes out directed at me? To me, that is not really a big deal. It serves two very important functions. First, it reminds me of the need to put positivity out into the world. Second, if they are focused on me, for that time they are not directing their misery at someone else. I am grateful for the example as to what it can be like if you do not keep a positive outlook as well. These folks, despite their best efforts, have given me no less than three things to be grateful for. When you do your best to be positive and bring light to the world, know there will be others who are offended by that. Perhaps they do not like seeing others happy when they are not. Maybe they are jealous that you have found the secret to an amazing life? Whatever the cause, do not take it personal. Send them some good vibes and move on. It is not worth your energy.
The world can sure seem like a tough place these days. I say seem for a very important reason we will get to in just a little bit. Negative news seems to come at us from every corner. It is delivered on our phones, our laptops, the evening news and even at work in conversations with coworkers. In this country there is an election looming so I am sure we will all hear about how terrible the world is and how much worse it will get if we don’t vote for a specific candidate. It doesn’t even matter the party, the message is pretty much the same.
All of this can be pretty overwhelming. Even those of us who do our best to stay away from such things often can’t help but be subjected to them. It can leave you feeling a little less than hopeful about not only your life, but the state of the world in general. There are a few things to keep in mind, and two specific things you can do, to keep this from happening. At the very least, you will have it happen less often and it the feelings of despair will not last as long.
The first thing to keep in mind is that things are never as bad as you are lead to believe. Fear is what sells. Think of AI for example. Yes, there are many scary things that can be attached to it, but there are also miracles waiting to develop from it as well. Think of what it will mean to the world of medicine and the treatment of disease. We will be able to develop treatments and cures far quicker than we have ever been able to before. Technology has made personal communication more difficult, but it has also helped people stay in touch and find each other. Change is always a double edged sword. Knowing that there are both good and bad in everything will help balance things out. Knowing that you may be one of the few people thinking this way will also help put things in perspective. Most people who converse with you will just be repeating what they hear. This is often the fear and negativity we just mentioned.
What can you do when you are exposed to all of this? The answer is what kick-started this blog. The first thing you can do is to make sure you have enough positive influences around you. Here is a hint – you can never have enough. Subscribe to funny or inspiring pages on your social media. Subscribe to a wonderful daily motivational blog, such as secret2anamazinglife.com. That way you will be sure that each day motivation will come to you. There are free motivational apps for your phone. Make yourself a ‘happy playlist’ of songs that lift your spirits. Make sure to spend time with people who do the same.
Here is a lesson that I learned that caused me to start this blog in the first place. That is that you can either be part of the problem by complaining about how rotten the world is, or you can be part of the solution by making it better. The negativity of the world frustrated me, and still does on occasion. When it seems that the level of negativity seems to be growing out of control, I use that as motivation to increase the amount of positivity I bring to the world. If I am feeling this way, I imagine many others are feeling the same, if not worse. If my words and actions can make their life a little brighter, perhaps it will start a ripple and I will be doing my part to make the world a better place as a whole.
To recap, if you want to keep the world from bringing you down, make sure you have enough positive influences and become part of the solution. Bob Marley referred to complaints as ‘prayers to the devil’. I have to agree with Bob on this one. Sitting and complaining without acting only makes the situation worse. Ask yourself what you can do to help change things for the better. If you can’t come up with anything, go help someone else while you are thinking about it. I promise you will make the world better for two people if you do.
Here is a word that I would like to put in all of our vocabularies. The ability to embrace things about us that are not perfect, especially in today’s world, can be quite difficult. To do so and still be able to understand that we are still beautiful, wonderful and amazing people can be next to impossible. One thing that may make that easier is having a word to describe just that. “Flawsome” is something we should all be. We all have flaws, yet we are all rock stars at something too.
Flaws are not always the curse we see them as. When viewed by others, flaws can make us relatable. Often, having flaws gives us credibility. How much would you trust someone who tells you they are perfect at everything? I know I wouldn’t. When you own your flaws, and understand they do not make you less of a person, you make it more difficult for others to use them against you.
If there are two things I know about the people I love in my life, it is the fact they have flaws, and they are still totally awesome! Those two facts hold true about you as well. Do not let things about you that need improvement convince you that you are anything less than the beautiful soul you are. You, me, and the rest of the world are all “Flawsome”.
Today, we are going to discuss a very important subject – worth. In the world we live in, the value of certain things has slowly become eroded. If I were to ask you about the two objects in the photo above, which would you say is worth more, the diamond or the bottle of water? If you are a rational person, I would think you would choose the diamond. After all, with a diamond like that, you could buy many bottles of water. This is not the entire story.
It is our current situation that determines the value we place on certain things.If you were alone in the desert and someone offered you a diamond or a bottle of water, I am guessing you would choose the water. In the desert, you could die of thirst before you find someone to exchange your diamond for a bottle of water. If you had a diamond and you were dying of thirst in the desert, you would gladly exchange it for a bottle of water. In the desert, the diamond would be of little, to no use. The water bottle, however, could save your life.
Here is today’s point, the same is true with people. The value of individual life is nothing short of a sacred thing. Each one of us is valuable in our own way. Many people may appear more like a diamond, but their value is limited to a certain situation. Perhaps you find your boss a clueless and micromanaging fool. Yet, that person may be the most caring parent or grandparent. The server who provided terrible service to you at dinner last night? They might be the caring friend who is providing a lifeline to someone who is barely holding on. We do not always see the value of someone. That does not mean they do not have value. The same is true for us. Just because someone does not see your value does not mean you are not valuable.
In today’s crazy world, let us all remember that each one of us is extremely valuable. Someone’s inability to see your worth does not diminish it. The same holds true for others. Our inability to see the value in another person may just be that, our inability. We can’t see our boss at home with their grandchildren. We can’t hear that rude server offering words of hope and encouragement to their friend. As we go through life, let us understand each one of us, even those we cannot see, have a great amount of value. Let us all treat each other with that in mind.
Today is an event that happens but once a year. I run a 5k. Let it be known that in no way am I a runner. Yes, I do go to the gym 3 days a week, but I look far more like the second picture than the first. My goal is always to run the 3.2 miles in less than 30 minutes. Depending on your fitness level, this could seem like nothing or an impossibility. With my asthma and over indulgence in pizza, it is at the edge of my ability. What it does do is give me a goal to push towards. I have yet to achieve it, but always try.
Here is the great thing about having this goal, and even about not achieving it. Forever am I realizing there are ways in which I can improve. Eat better, train better and find ways to improve my breathing. Still, pushing yourself can have such amazing benefits. I encourage all of us to try this. It does not have to even be something physical. It can be pushing ourselves to write 1000 words a day towards our new book. It can be forcing ourselves to clean for 30 minutes a day. Maybe reading a couple of pages every night.
Whatever seems at the edge of our ability to do, we should try to do that. It is the only way to expand and improve our life. If we constantly stay in our comfort zone, our life will not only fail to expand, but we will also never feel the pride that comes with accomplishing something we never thought we could.
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 