Month: July 2019

Direction

Going the Right Direction

July 28, 2019 by 0 Comments

Only you have to live with you. I remind myself of that when other people give me advice – i.e. – tell me what to do. And let’s face it, most of us really don’t like being told what to do by someone else. Because what’s right for you, may be wrong for me. And what’s right for me, may be wrong for you. Regardless of what anyone tells you, we have to decide for ourselves what is right for us.

So where is our moral compass for decision making? The right path has to do with perception. The problem is when our perception gets distorted by circumstance – when we can’t see the forest through the trees – and we feel hopelessly lost in it. Keep in mind, when you feel you are going the wrong way, you can always turn around a start up a new path.

To help focus, we can remember that happiness is subjective, so the road to happiness is also subjective. A good litmus test for making decisions on your journey derives from the Hippocratic oath of First, do no harm. I would add to that – First do no harm to yourself or to others. (We often forget the to yourself part.) Will what you decide be good for your health and good for the health of those around you?

What’s right for you may not be popular or understood by others. (No matter!)  Because people often say it’s okay to think outside the box. But when they are confronted by the outside box thinking, they don’t like it. At all. People will often yield to convention because it is familiar and comfortable. So be ready for all eyes on you when you are making a big change or big decision. Many will be eyes of judgment. Some will be eyes of understanding. Others will be eyes of admiration. Just don’t let any eyes change your “I” direction.

There is no “my way or the highway.” Because our roads and journeys are different. Ask and pray for guidance and assistance to keep going the right direction for you. Trust yourself.

“Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.” ~ Buddha

Self-Discovery

Change

July 14, 2019 by 0 Comments

Does change come to you or do you go to change? Do you seek it out or does it seek you out? Do you take a step toward change or does it take a step towards you?

Change = “to make or become different.” But how different do I want to be? How different do I want my life to be?

The expression the winds of change implies that they will blow your way at some point. They are coming for us. Ready or not. (Like it or not.) Often we think not – but we usually are more ready than we know. Or at least as ready as we’ll ever be. (We likely are way past ready.)

Sometimes, we hope and pray for change. Sometimes, we dread it. Either way, change is difficult for us. Because it is the unknown. And the unknown can be scary. So we hope that the winds of change are gentle. We hope that the winds of change don’t approach us as a damn hurricane.

If we embrace them as they approach, the winds won’t flatten us. But the more we resist, the stronger they get. And they are coming. And they are necessary. Because they can make you look at the stormy issue that you have been ignoring. They can make you deal with the unhealthy situation that has gotten out of control. They can force you to take a good look at your darkening sky. They can blow away the emotional debris of your life to clean house. The winds of change will force catharsis. They will make us become different, and become better.

Weather the storm when the winds of change blow in. Seek help from some and refuge from others. Live one day at a time. Take one step at a time. Those who don’t want you to change (for the better!) will eventually be driven off by the storm. Good. This makes room for new people and new opportunities. And changes will lead to growth.

Change may be hard, and it may or may not be welcome. But either way, it will arrive on your doorstep or blow in through your windows. It will make you pay attention to it because change usually comes to you when you need it most. And once you are different, YOU are changed, the winds will simply blow away.