Choose Wisely

I remember a long time ago I watched an episode of a day time show where they had a number of life coach experts that were providing advice to people on how to live their best life.  The suggestions ranged from getting more out of their relationships to achievement of a better lifestyle by making better choices for yourself.  What was key and important for me at that time was the revelation that my own selection of what I did, ended up directly affecting who I was going to be.  Although this sounds simple enough, it can be challenging for certain people to come to terms with this.  For instance, some people struggle when it comes to getting past their childhood issues, specifically because they were not in charge of selecting anything that occurred to them and as a result they lived with the consequences of their parental or guardian's actions.  Although we have to come to terms with the childhood that we received, as adults one does get to choose what happens in our later years.  It can be quite revelatory to understand one is in charge their own destiny and be held completely accountable for that. I feel that one never has to settle for anything and more importantly, don't let anyone ever tell you or imply that you cannot achieve something.  I had an incident not too long ago when it was implied that the tougher road about a particular issue I was facing, was probably not the best course of action for me.  As soon as I heard that, my immediate instinct became a little defensive and then I processed what was being stated.  I centered on the thought that the person who was conveying their apprehension towards me, was their issue and not mine.  I took absolutely no responsibility for their point of view, as it was who they were and I cannot do anything about that.  Not taking anything personally was something I learned a long time ago via Don Miguel Ruiz's book, "The Four Agreements" and I highly recommend it to anyone who could benefit from peeling additional layers off one's true self.  These moments are interesting to me now as they serve as great reminders about the person that I have become, versus the prior version of myself that would have become very defensive along with letting negative emotions fester inside of me.  As you make your list of things to accomplish in the coming weeks or months, think about the many choices that you will have to make in order to get to the conclusion of where you want to be.  One must align not only their thinking, but also their surroundings with a compliment of people who will be supportive of all of the actions associated with those end goals.  I also think we should be cognizant of the fact that some people were meant to be in our path for a determined period of time and if those individuals no longer add value to you, then it is perfectly okay to disengage from them.  You cannot forget about the ability to make those choices that will ultimately add more value to your life, while you strive to live a more peaceful existence.  In the end, we all get to choose daily what we want in our lives.  So again I say to everyone, simply choose wisely.   

From Planting To Harvest

As I made my way home this morning from a much needed walk, I stopped to adjust my sunglasses in front of a home that I pass frequently.  I remember last year they re-landscaped their front yard and there were these small growing ice plants scattered sparsely next to their drive way.  Today, I realized I had not paid too much attention over the course of the last year, until I stood there I realized the beautiful colors of vibrant purple and yellow flowers that were now covering this large area.  The flowers looked like miniature daisies intertwined with a dazzling violet purple stars.  It took me a few minutes to take it all in and as I slowly continued my journey from there, it made me realize how a great harvest can take place if you sow the right seeds.  In our own lives, we are at times in search of finding what we are most passionate about and look in different locations for that ultimate fulfilling purpose that we know is out there for us.  What we fail to consider sometimes is that the life that we are currently living is part of the seeds that we had sowed some time ago.  If you take a moment to reflect on that alone, you can find answers to your own questions about how you arrived at your current state.  Nothing has been an accident that got you to where you are at, if you think of things a little differently and realize that a good portion of the current destination that you find yourself in has to do with the person responsible for the ultimate navigation.  The caveat I have here is for anyone that is faced with a life threatening illness or has been subjected to personal loss, as we all know that none of those could possibly be the results of one's own planning.  What I have also come to realize for my own life is that finding solutions or alternative locations for the place that you really want to be, is an ongoing journey. One must first begin with acceptance of where you are at, in order to realize that if a change is needed then it must transcend from the place that you happen to find yourself in.  Some good reminders of this philosophy lie in finding inspirational material that reminds us that if you can change your thinking, then you can change your life.  I know full well that if you cannot change your inner voice, then it becomes even more difficult for you to believe the actual words that can come out of your mouth.  Aligning your thinking with the right actions, can not only get you to your desired outcome, it can make your life a lot more peaceful.  So if your outside thinking and inside thinking are not matching up, then I say it is a great opportunity to plant some new seeds, that will ultimately yield the right harvest for you.  Do not be discouraged by anything that may have occurred in the past and don't be defined by any of those prior circumstances.  One can transcend far beyond what one can imagine, all you need is some faith in yourself along with the right thinking to get your actions to follow.  Look forward towards the harvest that is awaiting you ahead and consider this time a period of introspective thoughts that will formulate the right solutions for you.

The Season Ahead

Although we still have some remnants of summer like weather, I do notice that time is changing and the early morning crispness is announcing a new season ahead.  Fall is my favorite time of year because it has the best of both worlds for me.  You get cool evenings and mornings along with a dose of midday sun.  One of the best parts of the changing seasons is that it reminds me about the things that I might want to change as well.  I use this period as a time of reflection, because with new weather I believe that the opportunity exists for new thoughts, which can then transcend into new habits.  While changing your thinking and incorporating other alterations to go with it is work, nothing can remind us more about that when we take the time to reflect about a new period of the year.  Our plans can change from one minute to the next depending on our circumstances, however, it is the consistency of our thinking that will provide us with the true direction of where we want to go.  Similar to the changing color of the leaves that signal it is time to look for a new seasonal chapter, we can choose to do the same thing.  Perhaps you have been thinking for some time about a to-do list of things you want to accomplish.  If time has gotten away from you because of the busy day-to-day life schedules, then give yourself the opportunity to put yourself back at the top of the priorities list.  I know too well how we can all shift away from putting ourselves first and with that, we are relegated to an afterthought among the many pressing life priorities.  Sometimes we feel guilty about being on the top of our own list, yet, we cannot achieve much without our ability to put ourselves in a position that can enable better thinking along with better decisions about  our own life.  We get some reminders at times that make us re-evaluate some of our prior decisions with residual consequences.  Recently for me I have had some issues with a knee that has curtailed some of my physical capabilities and I was quickly reminded about how important my own health is.  It triggered my ability to go to my own priority list and make a concerted effort to address this issue.  This became an opportunity moment for me about how having good health is a foundation for everything that we want to do with our lives.  I have been re-evaluating my own inventory of where I am and where I need to go from here.  Ideally, we should be good planners for all things that make up our livelihood.   Whether it is health, family, finances or other key items that are part of our circle of stability, we must pay close attention to all of those important things.  It is easy to forget about how important one's foundation is when things are going well and it is not until one hits a bump in the road that can cause one to go back to re-evaluation mode.  As I continue to marvel outside at the changing scenery with the welcoming Fall changes, I am very much aware about my own to-do list that needs some fine tuning.  My hope for the coming season is that everyone gets to prioritize their own list that they have been contemplating and that everyone utilizes the changing scenery around them to be a catalyst for the new top priorities after thoughtful reflection.  

Change Your Thinking

I ran across a quote that spoke simple words about one's ability to change their thinking in order to change their circumstances.  Many of us come to those periods in our life when we know that change is imminent and we can already see the glimpses of the world changing beyond our thoughts.  The only issue that a lot of us have is being resolved to move forward with such a change.  For what ever the reason, we all get stuck and at some point we realize we either have hit a plateau or come to a place that we realize we have to move on from. Interestingly, it all begins with a simple thought that then becomes the seed to different thinking, which is the catalyst to all change.  None of us are immune from those instances when we find ourselves knowing that we want to go in a different direction, yet somehow struggle with where and when to begin the journey.  While making the bigger changes later can be quite transformative, it all begins with some very small steps.  I do admire those individuals with the will and the power to change as soon as their mind is made up.  They don't require a lot of self evaluation or the ability to convince themselves about a particular task.  These individuals simply move forward with great confidence and courage, while they serve as a great examples of what all of us are capable of.  Because of our unique gifts and talents those capabilities come in varied degrees depending on the individual.  For me, I always figure that I am ever present in learning mode as there is always something new in what each day brings to me.  We can be complacent at times and we all have to learn to shake ourselves loose and re-awaken that part of us that continues to strive for further transformation.  While we search for better and more efficient ways to use our time and talents, we must be cognizant about that ever present timeline that exists in the totality of our own lives.  None of us is guaranteed a tomorrow and although we get comfortable in knowing that we have a great number of years ahead of us, we have all learned via example of the many instances in which this was not the case.  I have seen many great examples of people who look and feel much younger than what they appear to be and they always have a similar great formula about their lives, where they throw caution to the wind as they live their lives to the fullest while focusing on the present moment.  When you think about how exciting your life could be if you constantly were in anticipation mode about what your next adventure was going to be, it could change the dynamics of your everyday life.  None of us want to want to live with any given type of regret and we certainly don't  want to add to a list of things that we wanted to do, but did not get to.  If you think of the top three things that you want to change about you or your circumstances, begin with those few things that mean the most to you while you embark on how you perceive your outcome to be.  See yourself in the end result of what you really want for your life and complete your day with the affirmation that you are one day along with one step closer to that result.  Nobody ever got to the finish line of a great race without putting their feet in front of the other, while making effort filled strides towards that ultimate end goal.  This is why it is imperative that anyone who expects to change has to do some work, along with  their own their re-thinking.  Remember that all hard work pays off and even if you feel less inclined to achieve so on some days versus others. Remember that all great changes begin with those first few steps and equally as important are your thoughts that go with whatever you set your mind to do.