To Be Able To Accept

The first real mastery towards lasting personal change is Acceptance. This is the first leap of faith you must undertake and it requires honesty on your part. I mean let's face it folks, we are never perfect but accepting that we are not is a crucial step towards self discovery. Accept the fact that there are many aspects in your life you have no power over, but the ones that you do, you have in you the power to change them. Accept the fact that life is indeed short and you are never going to be young again, so do the things you've always wanted to do but didn't have enough time or inclination to. Accept the fact that the people you love won't always be around for you so take the time to tell them how you really feel about them and what they mean to you. More importantly, let them FEEL this. Accept the fact that we all have limitations but not all are weaknesses. They are challenges.

So what do we need to do?

Again, as I have alluded to earlier, nothing is ever simple. Foundations need to be laid down in order to view the big picture you call your life. Don't get bogged down with minute details for these will sort themselves once you realize their place in terms of precedence and priorities. Stability requires a good solid foundation and like everything else that matters and is worth pursuing, this requires time, patience, and commitment.

As you sit in your little stool in the garden of life try to imagine that your four legged stool has legs made up of four basic fundamentals; Clarity of Mind, Singularity in Purpose, Strength in Spirit, An Understanding Heart. Think about these fundamentals for a while and imagine how your life could be made better even if you only acquire a small mastery of these. Once you reflect on these you will realize that they do encompass everything. These are your strengths . How do we nurture these? More on this in future posts....

We cannot really gauge our strengths without uncovering our weaknesses. From now on look at your weaknesses not as flaws or failures but rather as shortcomings, in need of completion. Try to do away with words which carry with them a great sense of negativity. One such word is Failure. There are many reasons why we fail: we may lack a key factor in making something work, we may have misdirected our efforts thus we are not producing the results we want, we may lack motivation in seeing something through, or it can mean we simply didn't know how or even where to begin.

One thing I learned in my life and actually made a habit of is to write down how I feel. Whenever skies are grey and things aren't going where they are supposed to be I write about them on a journal. Only later I find that when I go back to them down the road I begin to understand why. Things become clearer to me. This is how I gauge my life essentially. In my journal I write about many things, actually, but the point is I discover just as many things about myself in the process. Try to do this. Be honest when you do. So, today, try to write. Write about your strengths, your weaknesses, your aspirations, your hopes, your feelings, your thoughts. Sometimes, in our day and age, we fail to connect with the most important person in our lives. Ourselves. So begin.

When you do decide to do this, try to think about the following questions. Ask yourself these questions. Be honest with your answers.

"Am I truly happy?"

"Am I really where I am supposed to be?"

"What could I have done differently yo make my relationships more meaningful?"

"How can I love myself more?"

"Could there be more for me in this life?"

"Why am I afraid to commit or begin?"

" What must I do to change the way I am?"

Be honest now. These are key questions you will be asking yourselves from time to time. Thanks again and do take care of yourselves. Be happy and know that all things come to pass, even sad times.

Thought for the day: Negative people don't live very long,
so do away with negativity. It's the first step
to having an open mind (",).

Did You See That?

You ever woke up one morning and felt as though something is missing in your life? You couldn't quite put a finger as to what that is only that a sense of incompleteness admixed with urgency and helplessness seems to hover over you. your gut feeling tells you there should be something more, a connecting piece that's missing in your life's puzzle. Well, you are right. And you are not alone.

The truth is we all possess inherent and endearing qualities which will enable us to live the lives we've always wanted and dreamed of. What's more is that we each have potentials and strengths we didn't know we had all along. It is not enough to discover ( or rediscover) all that is best and good in us. We have to nurture these qualities and apply them in our own circle of life. When was the last time you woke up and said," Hey I felt good about yesterday!" Let me tell you, most people don't even remember what it was they did 2 to 3 days ago, let alone yesterday.

What am I driving at here?

Well, the first step to personal change is to develop a higher sense of Awareness. I am not referring only to your relationships with your loved ones and other people in general, whether they be friends or colleagues at work. It's actually much more than that. Yes they complete you and contribute in defining who you are, but ultimately it is You who dictates the life you want. By a higher sense of awareness I mean also being aware of the moments that comprise your life and your place in them.

Be aware of the Now, this Instance, this Moment.

Value the time that has been given to you for it is the only thing that is truly yours. It is the one thing in your life you have the power to control many times over. You see, Time is a funny thing. We always say we are out of time or that there isn't enough time. The truth is we had all the time in the world up to the point when we say that. By being more aware we can gauge time more wisely. Be aware of the little things that flash by you, the senseless acts of love that warms your heart and put a smile on your face. Appreciate them so that everytime you remember, you will always feel good. So this is the first thing we must do, heighten our senses and develop a deeper sense of awareness.

Improving the quality of our lives isn't easy nor is it simple. I mean I can sit here and type away and ask you to change this and that but, honestly, how many people do you think would actually consider or even try ( yourself included, of course). I am here because I want you to consider the possibilities, the " What if's", if you were to do things a little differently, if you were to change. With that let me ask you these questions....

" Aren't you tired of dreaming? Don't you think it's time you do something?"

Let me tell you, nothing feels worse than feeling helpless. Well, maybe there is something worse- to resign yourself to this helplessness, and not even being able to do anything about it or even trying to. You see, there is no secret to life. Everything changes and our actions are dictated by need. What's more is that we define our needs based on our priorities and our priorities sometimes change.

So today let's take a moment to notice things we barely notice or even pay attention to at all. Even the smallest and seemingly unimportant things can open our senses. A heightened sense of awareness does two things for us, essentially. First, our sense of observation improves drastically. Secondly, we open our minds more to questions, possibilities, and solutions. So hey, don't just sit there and read through all this with passive minds. The last word I said was Solutions. Answers. Make it a habit from now on to be more observant of the many puzzle pieces which comprise your life and the person that is You...this is your First hurdle.

Tomorrow, we begin a new day, so do come back........thank you.