A Life Full Of Promise

Life is a gift. It is an opportunity for each of us to bring light to the World, to experience and become and grow. We are hear to sing and dance and struggle to find meaning. Life is its own meaning. That is the only proof we have. We exist.

If there are rewards and punishments beyond this life we can only imagine.

Our experiences are just memories of our thoughts, the images and words, of events that occurred while we were present.

You were there while things were happening around you. You interpreted those events in a way that was meaningful to you.

And as these memories travel through time with us, they do not improve with age.

We alter them through our current experiences by seeking validation of our beliefs.

If our experiences are just thoughts we can change them. You may ask how? By re-interpreting them.

In previous articles I have talked about examining what we remember of events and assigning new meaning to them.

By giving each event at least three new interpretations we can change how we feel. It is how we interpret those events that become the feelings we have. 

The meaning we give to those events determines how we will respond, how we will feel and behave.  

 It is interesting that having done something the first time, even if it is only in your imagination, you will be able to do it more easily the second time. Once you have shown yourself that you can do it, there is no longer anything stopping you from doing it again.

Give the Best of Yourself

To get to what you want you first have to give the best of what you have.

If I am without friends, then I must first do everything that I expect a friend to do.

If I am sad, then happiness is finding a moment of joy in each moment that I breath and live.

If I am frustrated because I have not yet reached my goal, then I can focus on what I have accomplished to far.

If my friends annoy me, then I must at least be grateful that I have friends. It is up to me to decide how I respond to others.

If I am ill to the point where I no longer function as well as I used to, then it is up to me to challenge myself to respond to others as before. The world has not stopped to turn its attention on me. People still feel, and still do whatever they have always done.

I may need to adjust to a new level of strength and not expect more of myself than my illness will permit. But, I can not act as though others are to blame for where I am here and now. I can not give them my pain so they can suffer along with me.

If I am to give a public speech, then I can prepare it well and deliver it so that you are getting what you need from it. I can focus on my delivery and my audience. My feelings are imaginings in my mind.

If I am to talk to others with confidence then I must focus on what they need and feel. In casual conversation, simply acknowledging the other person with a smile and being aware of them while they are speaking will go far.

If I want people to acknowledge me when I am walking by them, then I must smile and acknowledge them first. They are dealing with the mess of messages in their own head and the fear that they too will not be acknowledged.

When You Are At A Loss

When you have reached on goal, then set another. If you have no goals you will be like a rudderless ship at the mercy of the wind and waves. You life will be going nowhere.

Once you graduate from college and are starting a career, aim for the next level in your career. Once you reach that level, then aim for the next.

The same applies to your family. Remember that relationships require to be nurtured and maintained. If all your time is spent on your career, then you may as well not have had a family.

Despair is the result of not knowing where you will end up. There is never a time when it is hopeless. Only your interpretation of events can make you believe that. Remember that it is only your meaning and you can choose to change it.

While you breath, life is a gift.  You are the meaning of life as long as you breath.