When I think about a life motto or mantra, I always come back to the idea that we should view life through the lens of ‘getting better every day!’ That’s why the end of every blog incorporates the idea of ‘looking forward to a brighter tomorrow!’ Today is only twenty-four hours and this week was only seven days. If one hour, or one day, or one week ruined us, then we have got to pick ourselves up and remind ourselves to keep moving forward. Martin Luther King Jr. said “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl. But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
Where are you Right Now?
Take an inventory of where you are right now. Are you in a rut with work? Is your relationship with a spouse or loved one shaky? Have you fallen out with a best friend or family member? It could be one or all of these things. What happened? Taking the time to think about the situation after the ember has cooled a little will give you a greater understanding of you and your choices and actions as you look introspectively at your own life. Don’t dwell on what someone did to you or how they hurt you. Instead, when something like this happens, focus on the only piece of the situation you have control over and responsibility of, how you acted and how you responded.
Too many times, even the coolest heads get heated in an emotional discussion or situation. Think about what you did… now decide if what you did requires an apology. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t, but it is VITAL that you figure that out. Next, you need to think about how you responded, even if you thought it was only inward. Were you angry? Offended? Were you hurt?
This is a harder spot, because I am asking you to look inwardly and determine if that was warranted. If you say, ‘no’, then that is something you can apologize for. If you say, ‘yes it was warranted’, then I would encourage you to look harder and remove any ‘pride’ that you may be harnessing. You still say, ‘yes it was warranted’, then you do not need to apologize unless your heart tells you to.
“Looking inside yourself is a practice that we as people need to do on a much more frequent basis. It would rid the world of most ‘Karens’ and put us on the path to a brighter tomorrow.”
Where do you Want to Be?
Once you realize where you are, there are only two paths. You either move in the direction which will take you forward, or you don’t. There is no reason to overcomplicate life. Teachers and philosophers and heads of religion have used the simplicity concept for thousands of years because they knew a simple path was the easiest to follow. So don’t complicate it. Either, you choose to move in the direction of what you want to obtain, or you don’t.
Gym goers make a mental choice to fight for what they want. Doctors and Lawyers make an active choice to study hard for what they want. Business women and men make personal sacrifices for where they want to be. Moms and dads make hard choices for where they want their families to end up. If you aren’t where you want to be, there is no magic potion or genie to make it happen. But where there is willpower, there will always be a way.
Or you decide that it isn’t worth the energy and settle for staying where you are and remaining who you are in this moment. You need to recognize that this is also a choice. The world is not laying out your path and then guiding you down it. YOU are laying out your own path and leading yourself down it. It is YOU who is in control of your destiny and of your future. You decide on your own Brighter Tomorrow!
What will it Cost to Get There?
“Everything!” It will cost you everything to get where you want to be because the process will not bring the old you along. The process will leave your past there and create a new self. We can not move forward without also becoming a new person in the process. I’m not saying you’ll be completely different, because you will still have many of your attributes as you grow. I am saying you will be refined. Bad habits will be chiseled away like a sculptor chiseling the stone. Like melting gold so that you can scoop away the impurities, you are refined. And so, when you choose to be different than you are, you will always come out better on the other side. Then, repeat the process.
And when you feel lost and the darkness of doubt and fear are overwhelming you, take courage. You are not alone. There are people here who want to see you succeed. The tunnel gets darkest before the light at the end comes into view. So, in the words of Dory, “Just keep swimming.” Keep swimming until you reach the other side. Swim until you find the current that will boost you forward or the school of fish that will join you in the journey, even if only for a short time. Just keep moving towards your goal of a ‘New You’!
And together, in 2021 and beyond, let us work on ourselves as we look forward to a brighter tomorrow!
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