Posts Tagged ‘attitude’

New Year, New You.

In anticipation of the events happening in the next two days, surely thousands have already worked out the plans they have for the next 365 ( or  approximately 8,760 hours)  to come.    However, in your pursuit of self improvement remember  that it’s a journey rather than a destination. As much  as you’d like to fast forward to your goal completed, it would be a mistake to miss  out on all the steps that took you there. Because each one holds in it a refinement of  who you are, and no detail should be forgotten.  It is within the work of self improvement that you’ll find  the greatest lessons. Each New Year, thousands of  confetti pieces ( a square inch in size) with wishes scribbled on them rain down on the heads of revelers  in  New York City’s Times Square. I  should know as I was one of the hopeful Souls to write my wish on a little piece of   brightly colored paper,  along with others  every Year.  It seems  sad  that these sentiments  will be swept away by street cleaners after the celebration ends. Yet even  so, the authors of the wishes will not forget them. One wonders how   many will come to pass, and how they will be fulfilled.  By sheer self determination? By chance? By   Life’s own serendipitous ways?   It’s difficult to leave anything up to fate, as we tend to relish control. But,……. Newsflash! The only thing you truly  have control of  is your response to the  circumstances of Life.  So, you do get to choose. Will you choose to be defeated or work towards  victory?   When your carefully laid plans are unexpectedly derailed, how will you choose to respond? This is as important of a question as  it is to  chart your goals for the coming Year. Because  as  any survivor of trauma will tell you, plans change, people change, and you will change right along with them. And that’s okay. In fact it is inevitable  that you  will change in the face of a derailment.  Except, in which direction will you choose to change? For the better, or for the worse?   If  the goals you set for this coming Year go terribly awry  will you choose to work towards them irregardless? Or  in a dark mood, will you scrap them?  I have a better (and diifficult)  suggestion. Keep going after them.  Not only will  this help maintain your motivation, but guess what? In spite of  a perceived  loss, you will gain, gain, gain.

Happy New Year!

Adversity University.

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“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” – Viktor Frankl, holocaust survivor.

The most important choice you make every day is your attitude. Your internal attitudes are more important than your external circumstances. Joy is  mind over matter. How we feel isn’t determined circumstantial. It is perceptual. Our feelings are determined by our subjective focus. How you feel is the result of what you focus on. The same adversity can affect two people very differently. I often wonder how someone else would do in my circumstances, but I have hardly anyone to compare myself to. However, I’ve surmised that what poisons one person to death, sweetens the other person’s spirit. This would explain how  someone could manage to survive an atrocity  like the Holocaust. When I experienced my own holocaust in the form of a massive stroke, I had to choose. Either let it be a catalyst that began my downward spiral or fight. As it turned out, although I felt hopeless the latter was much more appealing than the former. Although I had plenty of very patient therapists and encouragement, ultimately I was the only one that  could do what needed to be done to improve myself.  The same goes for many different things in life, it is you that has the power to choose and get better. Therefore, I would encourage you to do what is needed to move forward, no matter how hard. Because, as I have seen some significant physical improvements, it’s well worth it!

to you and yours,

bleu

Knights Wanted.

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“True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful”-Paul Sweeney.

If you’ve subscribed to  fail before you’ve even begun, your already a loser. Unfortunately people inherently enjoy seeing others fail. Therefore, this planet  has a serious lack of one key component for growth, and that  is the benefit of encouragement. All too often people  believe what they’re told they cannot do or achieve. Perhaps I’m disillusioned but I find   having the attitude of completely ignoring these naysayers allows you to  move forward, rather than remain stagnant. If you want to witness  a place that has the largest  amount of untapped potential, you should visit a graveyard. Because this defeatist attitude some people acquire is deadly, and can last a lifetime.  Consider all those people that believed they couldn’t, thus remaining a vessel carrying  about large amounts of untapped potential. All of us are capable of achieving our dreams in the face of adversity(whatever that may be. Your more than just a person, but also an overcomer! Against the odds and even logic, by adopting this attitude you can be a force of positive change. Whether  that change is in your own life or others, don’t hesitate to be stubborn or steadfast in the belief that you can reach your goal. In  fact don’t think that  setting the bar high is unachievable for you. Because, as evidenced by reaching my own bar(see here) it definitely is not! This is why it’s so crucial to be in an environment of support, love, and positivity.  Where  there is  strife and negativity, that little voice in your head espousing failure is  free to run wild. Sadly, most people won’t believe that they can overcome the odds until they’ve either   a) done it or b) grown up in a supportive environment. However, if you  don’t believe me, I offer up my own story as proof positive that you can indeed and  will overcome the  battles of life when you adopt the right attitude   and belief.

Cheers and onward!

bleu