Tag: Encouragement

Life’s Lessons

We all go through life leaning things on a daily basis.  Some of those things are new skills, school lessons and just everyday items.  But, there are those things throughout our lives that make a big impact on us for one reason or another.  Things that maybe we have heard others talk about or maybe have seen played out in someone else’s life but, we ourselves have not fully believed, learned or experienced those things to allow them to impact us in such a way that they become a lesson for us.

Some of the lessons I have learned, some long ago, some more recent, I will list below.

True love is possible.  The kind of love between two people that surpasses all understanding.  The kind of love that creates a bond stronger than chain.  The kind of love that creates more than just a relationship, marriage or union between two people.  It creates a friendship and complete support system for each another.  True love is not just in the fairy tales.  It is REAL!

Common Sense.  This is one that I have realized long ago but, more so on a daily basis.  Common sense in general has been killed off by our society.  All you have to do is read or watch any source of media outlet and you will see what I am talking about.  It seems more and more prevalent that people have lost that thought process or totally choose not to use it and are just out to create drama, get something for themselves or make news headlines for some selfish reason.

Worrying.  We all worry about something everyday.  That is natural.  The thing about worrying is, that if you allow it to consume you,  it can cause other issues.  It can even bring us into a state of depression.  Think about it for a second, what does worrying actually do for the situation?  It does not bring a resolution.  It does not cause the very thing you are worrying about to go away.  It does not make it easier to deal with.  It is simply an emotional state that can cause us to constantly ask why, how or what if in our minds.  I say all this lightly because I struggle with this one as well.  There are ways to deal with this.  We can take a step back, re-evaluate the concern and then focus on the parts that we can physically have an impact on and the other, we have faith that it will work out as it should.  We can seek out help from family or friends.

There will always be something that we can worry about.  Just don’t allow it to consume you.

Patience. We have all heard Patience is a virtue.  I actually wrote a blog on this subject last year (https://wordpress.com/post/risingabove.blog/70). This is another that I have to really focus on daily.  Being patient is difficult, but not impossible.  In reality though, there is little that we can do about the things that we have little patience for.  It really is about US.  A couple of things that test my patience is the going to the grocery store and sitting in traffic.  I cannot control either of those situations.  If I want to get groceries, I either decide to wait patiently in line or I go to another store where I might face the same scenario.  As for traffic, all I can do is wait.  I can’t push others aside so I can get through.  So, it really is about how we deal with the situation.  We can choose to be patient in those times or we choose not too.

Remaining calm.  This one does not need a whole lot said about it.  Remaining calm in the face of confrontation is far better than the opposite.  Reacting harshly will usually have an even more negative impact on the situation, while reacting in a calm, well mannered way will douse the fire.  Whether we find ourselves in these situations at home, work or out in public, the way that we react or respond to situations impacts all those around us.  Think about this the next time you experience a situation where how you react, will determine the way the outcome will go.

 

These are just a few of the things I wanted to mention.  There are many more and I could go on and on with more lessons I have learned.  I hope that this may bring insight to others and maybe even have you jotting down those lessons in your life that have had an impact on you. Whether it be at a young age or older.  It is never too late to learn something new or gain a new perspective.

Until next time…

Reflection

Christmas has come and gone. It is sometimes unreal how quickly an event or holiday tends to come and go. Especially when it is something we really look forward too. This year has been that way for me. We look forward to birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, vacations, etc. Sometimes though our plans get delayed. The events don’t go as we had hoped they would. Vacations get pushed back or cancelled. The list goes on.

Each year so many things happen in our lives. Both for the good and the not so good. The not so good also seem to sneak up on us at times. That is what life is. All these little pieces of a puzzle if you will to make an overall picture.

All these puzzle pieces fit into our lives a certain way. All the things that happen, again, both good and bad, cause us or lead us to take some of the paths we take in our life. Some of these can be successes that lead us to landing our dream job or an opportunity we thought we never had. Others of these cause us to rethink our current directions. They teach us what is important or show us what we have been neglecting.

As this year comes to a close, I would challenge you to take just a few minutes to reflect on what this year has been for you. Reflect on it. Don’t dwell on it. Big difference. Look at your successes, your failures, your struggles and so on. How have they helped you? What have they taught you? Have they changed you for the better or the worse?

Self reflection is a time when you can evaluate where you have been and in what direction you are currently heading.  Have you made progress toward your goals?  Have you made steps in the directions of what you want to accomplish?

As I reflect on this year, I have many things that have helped me become a better me. There have been things that have help me with direction and change. If I look at these things one at a time and dwell on them, it could be not such a pleasant site. When I look at them as a whole, they have given me new insight. They have helped me to look at things with a new perspective. I am progressing in the direction I want to go and things I want to accomplish.  This may only be one small step each day, but it is still a step in that direction.

Now, I am not painting a picture of perfection, I’m just saying that even with the ups and downs of life, there can always be a lesson to be learned. It’s all in how you choose to look at it.

So again, I challenge you to reflect on this year. If it’s been a great year for you, then that’s awesome. Look how you can make it better. How can you help someone else this next year? If it hasn’t been a stellar year, what have you learned from it? How can you apply the lessons and make the improvements or changes for the coming year?

Do you have goals?  Do you have things you want to accomplish?  If so, then start with a plan to make that one small step each day toward that goal or accomplishment.  If not, then I would challenge you to also sit down and write out a few things you would like to do.  They could be personal items, changes, etc.  They could be career related.  What ever they might be, start by writing them down.  When you see them on paper, they become a little more real.

I would love to hear about some of your successes or trials throughout this past year and how you managed all the things in between.

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and that you will have a blessed new year.

Until next time…

Life’s a dance

“Life’s a dance, you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow. It doesn’t matter what you don’t know, life’s a dance you learn as you go” John Micheal Montgomery

You know, there is a lot of truth in this song. If you have experienced life at all, you know good and well that life is full of all kinds of twist and turns. It is full of uncertainties and expectations. Life is full of highs and lows, happiness and broken hearts. The list of what life is and what it can have in store is almost limitless.
Everyone has a different story. Everyone experiences these ups and downs, successes and disappointments and the like at one point or another in their life. That’s just life. Each of us has a different idea of what life is. To one it may be climbing that corporate ladder. To another it may be a life of missions in a third world country. The good thing is, that neither of these two mentioned or anywhere in between are the right or wrong thing for everybody.
We all have different goals and ambitions in life. That is what makes this life go around.
There is not a step by step guide to take us through this life. We begin this journey the minute we are born. Life is about learning as you go. That is how we get to where we want to be. We learn to crawl, to walk, to talk, etc. If we didn’t learn as we went, we wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Just as the song says, sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow. Those times when we follow is a time to learn. We can learn a lot by following, provided we follow the right things. Things that build us up. There are those times where we follow the not so great paths. (Been there many times myself) Even in these times we can still learn from what we experience.
Then there are the times that we lead. Many times this can come with successes in our life. It is a time to reflect on what we have learned and possibly teach or encourage others. There have been many times in my life that I have experienced both. I have learned a lot about overcoming trials and obstacles.
Life is not about going all out until you get knocked down and then just staying there. It is about getting back up, dusting yourself off and continuing on. It is about chasing your dreams. It is about the journey. If you hit a wall, either find a way around it or climb over it.

Life is not perfect. Our world is pretty messed up at times. It is not always pretty, but it is also not always doom and gloom. Life is what you make of it. Life is a journey, not a destination.

So, regardless of whether you are leading or following or anywhere in between, you will step on some toes or get yours stepped on. There is nothing wrong with either, so long as we learn from it. Life is full of lessons to be learned. Life is meant to be enjoyed! Life is meant to be lived!
It doesn’t really matter what you don’t know, we learn as we go through this thing called life.  Learn from your experiences. Build upon your successes.

Life’s a dance, enjoy it!

Until next time…