[success]The real key is to live in an environment where the mind feels free to choose the right thing instead of being compelled by habit and inertia to choose the wrong thing. ~ Deepak Chopra[/success]
Life comes with no guarantees of perfection, is filled with imperfect people, doesn’t give us total control or security and no promises that you won’t experience pain and disappointment.
Life is also magnificent, mysterious and miraculous.
And with every discouraging experience comes the chance to decide to do something different. To be someone different and to manage the events in life more constructively whilst you’re busy mentally defining what you’d like better.
Alter the bad habits, even a little and your light will shine more brightly, illuminating your path and making way for the good times to roll.
Give up avoiding, denying, ignoring or complaining about what you don’t want
Your mind plays a decisive part in producing reality. Knowing this means there’s no more standing on the sidelines letting things happen. There never really were any sidelines to stand on, wherever we go there we are…thinking and believing and reacting.
Stepping right into the fray and meeting any problems head on, minus the complaints, the grumbles or the mental fight against current events frees your energy to focus on solutions. Your mind will only move when it’s clear where you’re aiming.
If you want your dreams to become a reality, don’t fog the issue with complaints. You want to be able to see and hear when opportunity comes knocking.
Let go of the idea that problems are stop signs
Begin to understand that every problem could be a stroke of luck; a guidepost, not a sign to give up.
Don’t put the brakes on your success by setting yourself up for disappointment because you’re looking for the blossoms before sowing any seeds. We sow seeds because we believe contained within them, is the flowering plant.
Rise to the challenge; sow your seeds of joy, of plenty, of fulfillment, of success and believe they’ll bloom.
The best thing you can do is pay attention to the signs. When you do, you’ll notice that life is always reaching out to you. All it asks is that you’re ready.
Remember every door is an opportunity only if you open it. Meanwhile keep learning everything you can from everyone you can, it might come in handy when your opportunities arrive.
Quit running from adversity
You’re free to determine how you handle adversity. Will you be crushed by it? Will you have your own private pity party? Will you run from it or turn and face it head on?
Truly happy and strong people make up their minds to grow not weaken, to rise above not surrender. Will you dare to believe your vision for your future is stronger and more dynamic than any mishap that might occur?
As Napoleon Hill said, every adversity carries within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.
Learn. Let go. Bounce back. Move on.
Let go of the monotony of security
It’s not always easy to escape our old ideas. We cling firmly to what we know and what’s familiar and it keeps us stuck.
To get more out of life let go of your need for humdrum security. A joy filled, successful life requires a new approach, a renewal. Just as we change the water in a vase or swish the dust around a table, we need to clear out our inner house.
You deserve more from life than sticking to what’s tried and true, especially when it’s not working out too well. Don’t waste the wear and tear of life on excuses, you have a mind capable of sculpting your destiny, take possession of it.
Don’t put things off
That trip you always wanted to take. Do it. The novel that you’ve been itching to write, begin it.
Everyone would say yes to more joy, love and freedom. Your circumstances and the conditions of your life aren’t what’s holding you back; the thoughts you have and the things you accept are what prevent you from moving forward.
Most successful people came to a turning point in life, the one where they said I’m not going to live like this any more.
It doesn’t matter what other people are doing in relation to you, what really counts is where you are in relation to you. Are you moving forward, still experiencing growth? Are you in a different place than you were a year ago? These are the things that matter.
Keep these points in mind
You are creating your destiny with the thoughts you cling to right ‘now’.
If you’re struggling with your career, health, relationships and nothing seems to be working out, stop fighting the situation. Keep discouragement in it’s proper perspective, what seems vitally important today, might not matter at all next week.
Don’t let your bad habits get the best of you. Be brave enough to follow your heart and your intuition…they’re likely to take you to those wondrous places where your good times roll.
Got any more bad habits you should discard? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Thanks for reading sharing and joining in the conversation.
Encourage one another.
Love Elle
21 Comments
Hi Elle; another great post to start my sunday off with. joel osteen likes to say don’t worry about set backs think of them as setting you up for even greater things to come. and i forget who i heard it from first, but i like the phrase fall forward. The point there is if you are trying new things and stretching yourself you are bound to fail at it to one degree or another. The point is to learn something from it and do it better the next time or maybe do it differently at least. and one of my favorite books is by the blind climber eric weihemmayer called the adversity advantage. so i hope people take your advice here and step out bravely in faith. Thanks again and take care, Max
What a great phrase Max, the adversity advantage…love that. Funny how life always boils down to how we view it and what we do with it. 🙂
hi elle; yes, that is so true. but it makes another point as people we tend to make the simple complicated. smile and there was a cartoon short they used to play when i was a kid it went that’s about the size where you put your eyes that’s about the size of it. funny what we remember. take care, max
Elle,
The universe brought you this me at just the ‘write’ time. Thank you. I’m printing this off and posting over my desk!
Hi Nancy, I’m so happy you liked it. Funnily enough, often after I’ve written a piece I can’t really remember what I said…I think it comes from somewhere within…so I have to go back and look at what I actually wrote!!! 🙂 Whatever it was I’m glad it was useful to you.
Elle,
You have an uncanny ability to write exactly what I need to hear at just the right time. I’ve been dealing with crazy levels of fatigue despite eating very well (and clean), exercising, meditating, reducing toxins, drinking lots of water, etc. After listening to an interview with Lissa Rankin (author of Mind Over Medicine) and reading your post, I’ve identified some areas of negative thinking that are physically taking me down. I’ve been putting “work” (anything from the minutia at my job to the endless cleaning at home) ahead of writing and other things that bring joy to my heart. It’s that old programming that says we can’t play until all the work is done. But the work is never done.
I’m finally learning the importance of simply being and not always doing. I’m learning that it’s critical to my physical, mental and emotional well-being to prioritize the things that I love.
Although I’ve written about these topics in the past, I experienced them at a different level. It’s like peeling an onion – there are always more layers to remove and discover. We’re never “done.”
Life is such a mysterious and interesting journey that keeps us on our toes!
Big hugs to you Elle!
Hi Paige, isn’t it great that you get to experience things at deeper and deeper levels. I love that when it happens. Life is most definitely beautiful the more aware we become and you sound a lot like me, no wonder I write something that’s helpful for you! It seems we’re both really keen on expanding the beings that we are. In which case there’s always some information that arrives, sometimes in our inbox! Big hugs right back Paige. 🙂
I used to be a “practitioner” of procrastination and a constant “victim” of the shiny object syndrome. So you can just imagine how deadly of a combination that it: I put things off to focus on new stuff that has no relation whatsoever to my real goals. *sigh*
Thankfully, I managed to get out of that by building routines. Mind you, I started really, really small. Woke up 30 mins. earlier. Slept 30 mins. earlier. Things like that. But they add up in the long run and before I knew it I wasn’t consumed by some of my worst habits. 🙂
I know that shiny object syndrome Glori I wrote a post about it! Funny how those baby steps can make all the difference. As a retired (somewhat) perfectionist/procrastinator I’ve found the Nike slogan, just do it, works for me. Isn’t it amazing when you just take one step the rest seem to follow more easily. How did the 30 minute sleeping and waking impact you? I’d love to know. 🙂
“every door is an opportunity only if you open it.” ==> And don’t be surprised that the name of the person answering that door is usually called “Work”!
“Truly happy and strong people make up their minds to grow not weaken, to rise above not surrender.” ==> Once we realise this, we start to see every adversity as an opportunity to grow. Because that’s what adversity in life is really about. Successful people know this.
And about putting things off. There is a law that states that the longer you put things off, the less likely you will ever get down to it. This is 100% true. I tell myself this all the time, and it works for motivation. Because I’m too scared my brilliant ideas will never come to fruition.
“what really counts is where you are in relation to you.” ==> Definitely! The only time when people really fail in life is when they have lost the desire to grow. To become better people. To become the best version of ourselves.
Great points again, Elle. It seriously amazes me how you can come up with so many ideas for writing all your very uplifting posts!
Hi Jeremy, that is so cute…I’m too scared my brilliant ideas will never come to fruition…love it. I’m glad my thoughts are uplifting…that’s my plan of course…encourage, encourage, encourage. 🙂 Course I can’t seriously claim credit for any of them, they’re an accumulation of studying with the greats, if only through their writing and practicing to see how their philosophies work in my life.
Hello Elle,
As usual, so many great takeaways from just one of your articles. Wow. Specifically, the quote “give up avoiding, denying, ignoring or complaining about what you don’t want” is so very powerful. Just by doing that alone removes so much negative energy from us and infuses more positivity and fosters alignment with the good things life has to offer. 🙂
I also liked your “let go of the monotony of security” suggestion as well. Its really hard to fight against!
As usual, I have much to contemplate and think about after reading your posts. It’s a lot of fun. Thank you.
I like that turn of phrase Victor…infuses more positivity and fosters alignment…very cool. As always Victor you are so kind in your comments. You are much appreciated my friend and I’m glad you enjoy the posts, it’s a lot of fun to write them.
I love it Elle!
I really try to look at everything in life as simply a clue to where I am in my heart, mind or vibration. As you said those clues are there to help you out. They are there to guide you and bring you to a better place. By opening your eyes, seeing the whole picture and trusting that those signs are there as your guide, you will be on your way to a better quality life.
Thanks for sharing!
Judging from your writing Melissa, you manage this really, really well. Years ago I read a phrase that basically said our life experiences are simply revealing to us who we’re being. I’ve always found that really handy to remember…it’s such a non judgemental phrase yet allows me to take action and make changes, if I so choose. 🙂
Hi Elle, Another great thought provoking post. The only disagreement I have with it is to not put off that trip you’ve always wanted to take, and I’ll only say that is if you can’t really afford to take that trip you could set yourself up for a world of second guessing as you are struggling with your finances to pay for it…but to start saving for it…totally. But here > Don’t put the brakes on your success by setting yourself up for disappointment because you’re looking for the blossoms before sowing any seeds. We sow seeds because we believe contained within them, is the flowering plant.>is what I think is one of the biggest problems for many, especially today’s youth, who want the reward, without the work. And that doesn’t work.
I certainly understand what you’re saying Linda. The good thing about ‘facts’ is that they’re always changing because we are the changers of our life experiences. It’s true that no one is going to book a trip when they don’t have the money to pay for it, but everything begins with an idea in mind. By mentally enjoying the trip, we begin to pave the way for those facts to change and the more vividly we can visualize our trip the more power we generate, opening the way for all sorts of means to appear to help accomplish our desire. In my experience oftentimes through channels I would never have thought of.
Opportunities open up when we open up our thinking. 🙂
Your words are truly amazing, Elle! As I read the other comments, I see that you have such a vast influence over so many! I’m thankful to know you!
Hi Cher, right back at you. You are my woodworking heroine…in fact I want to be you with your wonderful ability to turn bits of wood and stuff into works of art. Hugs to you. 🙂
You’ve got all my bad habits covered! I am a historic complainer. I complain because I think (or used to think) that complaining made me feel more in control of things I found uncomfortable. But this thinking got me no where. fast. I now am learning to take things in stride, to accept bumps in the road, and breathe when things get tough. This all isn’t easy for me, but with time, it’s getting to be easier.
Way to go Jessica…you are so right, practice, of anything, makes it easier and more familiar. Your new habit will take you to places you haven’t yet dreamed of. Kudos to you. 🙂