Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday

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Challenges, Guidelines, Paradigm Shift, Paradigms, Problems, Robert H. Schuller, Signs, Trials

Image credit: http://www.brainyquote.com

I attend a monthly book discussion. This group discusses religious books and we interact with one another for about an hour about what we gained from the readings we have completed prior to the meeting. Today, we had a conversation about the challenges and trials each of us runs into throughout our lives.

One of my colleagues spoke up and said, “I think it is our mindset that causes the trouble. Some people may think that things are happening to them, while other people think things happen for them.” By changing that one word, problems, challenges, and trials all take on a whole new meaning. What if all of our problems, trials, and challenges happened for us and not to us. Something for you to think about.

This week is filled with working out, reading, writing, and interacting. From time-to-time I find myself stuck or waffling about trying to figure out how to move forward with one of my goals. The one I always find the most difficult is weight loss. So, yet again, I am tweaking my daily schedule to find that new thing I can do to move forward.

I finished the Kris Gethin’s 4-week-2-Shred program and lost some weight but not as much as I would like to. So, it’s off to a new program called Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Strength. I’m looking forward to this one.

I am at a point in my life that I consider anything that happens to me as something happening for me. We are all here in this lifetime to learn—to be better than we have been before. As our proficiency improves in one area the game changes to hit us with a previously conquered challenge and introduce a new challenge we must face to attain that next step forward.

The way we look at our world can cause us to be uplifted or degraded. What way would you like to look at the world? Are your problems outside of you, caused by other things and people, or are your problems inside you, caused by you and no one else? Do things happen for you or to you? These questions can only be answered by you.

Until next time…

Dave

Reference

Robert H. Schuller Quotes. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved October 8, 2018, from BrainyQuote.com Website: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robert_h_schuller_107067

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Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Sea of Change

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Challenges, change, Consistency, Determination, Persistence

“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” – African Proverb

As we commence in the New Year, this is a particularly relevant quote. We do not get better when things are easy. It is the challenges we face, the hardships, the difficulties, the unexpected problems that truly contribute to our development. Without challenges, we stagnate and become complacent. We enjoy the lull as long as it lasts, only to be disrupted by yet another problem we did not foresee.

Embrace problems. Embrace challenges. Embrace difficulty. They are all part of the grand scheme of things and truly make life worth living. Without problems, challenges or difficulties life would be boring right? Without problems, challenges or difficulties the victories we achieve would be empty.

Writing, drawing, music are all creative endeavors. They all require practice, patience, and a methodical means of putting them together. The book begins with one sentence, the drawing with one stroke of a pen or pencil, the music with one note. The sentences, strokes, and notes come together in a unique voice only known by the creator.

Creation is difficult work. It requires patience, contemplation, and an innate ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Patience is probably the most important aspect of creation because you can’t rush creativity. Creativity visits us and gives us yet one more idea to put in place, the final result being the novel, poem, or tune.

As each of you pursues your goals this year, take time to realize that your path to a goal’s achievement will not be a straight one. It will require you to detour around obstacles, learn new things about yourself, and deal with the challenges inherent in the goal you have set for yourself.

If you’re looking to lose weight, you’ll deal with the pain of hunger, sore muscles, and temptation after temptation. If you’re looking to write a book, you’ll deal with writer’s block, the challenge of self-editing and rewriting tasks, and the self-doubt that arises whenever we create anything for others to read or listen to. Whatever goal you have set for yourself, there will be a price to pay for the goal’s achievement. We must pay for what we receive. There are no shortcuts.

As you embark on your New Year, keep these things close to your heart. Goals are achieved by those who are persistent, consistent, and willing to pay the price for the goals they have set for themselves. Goals are achieved by those who are willing to face challenges and overcome them. Goals are achieved by remaining focused on their achievement despite the numerous distractions that raise their heads.

I wish each of you a terrific New Year and hope the seas you travel this year to attain your goals are as rough as they need to be to help you make a permanent and beneficial change in your life.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Challenges, Difficulties, Joseph B. Wirthlin, Pragmatism, Suffering

Today’s Quote

“You can find peace amidst the storms that threaten you.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

All of us experience difficulties from time to time. These difficulties can range from a minor nuisance to a devastating tragedy. In most cases our emotions get the better of us, complicating the situation even further.

Have you ever heard a statement that revolves around being so (whatever the emotion) that they couldn’t think? This is exactly what happens each time our emotions get the best of us.

I do not have any suggestions as to how you personally deal with these things. All I can tell you is about my personal experience. It is simple: Do the best you can with what you have and pass off your worries to God.

I’ve found that when I let go of any attachment I have to a particular outcome, along with the subsequent worry about the future when trouble comes is very calming. After trying this a few times, I also found that I suffered less. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. The only thing you control is how you react to these difficulties.

I live by two discovered truths:

1. Everything is in its rightful place in the worlds of God.
2. God will never give you more than you can handle.

Until next time…

Dave