New Beginnngs

I have talked about the past and about tomorrow and now I want to talk about a new beginning. I think we all like to have a fresh start in life. A place that we can look at the past and present and evaluate what has taken place in our lives and look at the possible future. That future being something we want to make that meets our desires of a better tomorrow.
Is it realistic to think that we can have that type of future, a future that doesn't have the problems of old but a making of something better? I believe we can have that. If for no other reason than because we want it to be.
You see, I believe that if you want something strong enough you will make it happen. It will be in your mind and heart all the time and eventually it will seep out into your life. Your actions will start to line up with your desires. Life will start to happen in the fashion you want it to. Not overnight but it will happen.
Nothing happens magically but it takes work. An effort that is measured by the desire you have.
Do we dare to believe that we deserve a good and happy future? I do. I want to because I feel I deserve it. We all do.
Now I have no idea where you are at in life, but I don't believe it is impossible to dream. Dreams do come true. Sometimes for just a moment in time. But when they do, we remember that moment. It sticks with us throughout our day. It makes us smile, puts a spring in our step. I want that.
There is no mountain that we cannot climb. Example: I heard on NPR (National Public Radio) that a man who was injured in the war ( recently) lost the use of his legs wanted to prove that even with the disability he could still do the things he dreamed of. He went rock climbing up a mountain with the help of two other experienced climbers up a fairly high mountain. A two day journey up. This amounted to the equivalent of 4000 chin ups in two days since he didn't have the use of his legs. And he did it.
I know I used a real mountain as an example but for this person he had a huge obstacle in his way, his legs to achieve his dream. I am sure it was a daunting task to get to the goal.
I said this so that we can think that there is a way to our dreams. It might take others to help you get there but there is a way.
Will you dear to dream, will you dare to try to see that dream come to pass? Are you willing to try and not give up?
What is the dream, the desire, the happiness you want? Lay it out, ponder it, break it down to smaller pieces that are manageable so that you can start to work on it. Then get started.
A new beginning is around the corner for all of us. Are we willing to look for it?
I see a new beginning, the possibilities, and I will work toward that which I can see. It does make you smile when you start to see something come to pass.
Just a thought of mine to share.
James

Tomorrow

Tomorrow seems to be something that can paralyze you or cause anxiety, stress, joy or happiness. It depends on what you are facing, how you look at things in general and as a whole. How do you look at tomorrow?
Some of the things we need to see is that tomorrow turns into today and yesterday eventually. Yesterday we were looking at today as our tomorrow and what we were anxious or happy about is now here, was our worries or concerns valid? Did what we thought about come to pass or was it blown out of proportion or are we disappointed?
Everybody has a way to see things that are not here yet. What causes our way of looking at things to be that certain way? How did we become the way we are when it relates to how we deal with the unknown of tomorrow? Our confidence or lack there of, fear, or strength, what do we have and if we don't like it how do we change it?
These things I think about, because I don't like how I look at things when it comes to my tomorrows. Not always anyway. I want to change how I deal with it. I know people can change if they want to, and I know I have changed over time because I wanted to. So when I look at tomorrow and the unknown what do I see? How am I going to prepare myself to handle what will be today when I look out into the future? Am I going to be ready to handle what I think is coming?
I think something that affects how I see tomorrow is what has happened in my yesterdays. Think about it, how did you and I handle those days of the past? What influenced our actions then and how does it affect how we are looking at our tomorrows? Do we like what we are looking at? If not then how are we going to change it so that we feel better about tomorrow?
Are we going to stay where we are at or are we going to change and not let yesterday influence our tomorrow when it comes to being happy and having joy. Enjoying the strength of having a control over the unknown in our lives is a goal I have. I know we cannot necessarily change what will happen tomorrow but we can change how we react and handle tomorrow.
For instance, meeting new people, new job, moving, starting over after a divorce or break up of a long relationship, all these things and others is what we face. What do we do when facing those things?
That is the question I want to stir you to think about, just facing tomorrow is not enough, we need to examine why we feel the way we do in order to get out of the habit we developed over time and break it into something better.
I am all for better, being happy and looking forward to tomorrow rather than being anxious about tomorrow.
I choose to change and try to make things better especially when I have a choice. What will you do?
Feedback would be nice if you read this.

Accepting the Past

Have you ever looked back at your life and had some regrets that you struggle with even today?
It affects you to some degree unless you don't do those things like look at your life and wonder how you got to where you are. But for me, I look back and wonder about those mistakes and hard times and wonder if I can do better, not repeat my actions, learn form them to make myself a better person.
I wonder at times if it is even possible to change for the better or am I fooling myself into thinking I can change. How does it go, a paraphrase from the bible "Act on what you hear(or see)! Those who hear (see) and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. " I know I used the bible, but I think it is appropriate for what I am thinking. When I look at my life what do I see? I am not just looking at today but at the yesterdays of my life. What do I see from back then that makes me happy and makes me sad, not only me but those who were and are in my life. I don't want to walk away after looking at my life and not change from the experience. I know I have made people sad, people I love, I also made them happy. I want to change the bad things and keep the good things.
How do I know when I have changed the bad things for a better behavior? How do we know, or are we just thinking that we have made changes and in reality the underlying behavior is still there masking itself with good intentions. What a dilemma it is.
So I think what we can do is look good at ourselves and pick somethings out that we are not happy with, examine them, ask the hard questions, accept the truth about it and do something different to change the behavior, thoughts and actions associated with those things. Maybe you or I need help from someone to make those changes. I know the truth can be a devistating thing to deal with but without truth what changes do you think you can make. We need to be honest with ourselves if we plan on being happy and succeeding in life. We may never make up for our past but I think we can make a better past as each day passes if we really want to.
I struggle with my past and what I see, I am determined for myself first and others second to not be the person I was but a different better person I want to be. Whether I get it right or not I cannot answer but I can say it won't be for lack of trying.
I am a better person today for what I have seen from my yesterdays, I am not perfect by far but I am accepting my past and being responsible for it. It is the least I can do........
That is my responibility to those I love and going to love in my life in the days ahead.

The One Standing

The Darker Side to Life

I know this is not a subject to talk about but haven't we all been there, where is that, the Dark side of our characters. That hidden self that you don't let people see, the thoughts, emotions, and actions you try to keep hidden from the public.
OK, taboo to talk about that side of ourselves maybe, but why not go there. Here we go......
What do you do with those thoughts you get when you just want to let go and let it all out regardless of the consequences...Do you just go for it and the hell with everyone else or do you hold in check and wait till the feelings go away? Wouldn't it be fun to be that other person for once and just let your feelings and desires take full control and become just for a night that person? Is that person really suppose to come out and play? Is that part of who we are and we just haven't figured out how to merge the two to a good balance that we can live with?
No I am not one who has a split personality or anything like that so don't jump to conclusions, if you do then that is your problem right.
What I am saying is there is a part to our lives that we hold in check with the best of our wills to keep there. It slips out when we are tired or been drinking just a little too much and our guard comes down and that part shows up and either we are amazed or embarrassed by what transpires. What if that part we hold in check is somehow suppose to be part of who we are but we are too uncomfortable or afraid to let it be part of our day to day lives?
Somehow it is part of us because there it is, the undisciplined, naughty, angry, wild side that we just don't understand and somehow may admire from a distance when we see those things in others.
What do we do with it? What is the purpose of having that inside and never willing to let it out in a way that makes us better, more interesting of a person than what we show others?
See we all show the people around us what we want them to see and know about ourselves, it is the ones that get really close that get to see the almost true self you are. You notice I said almost the true self because we all hold back a portion that no one will ever know about. We all keep a bit, the raw, untamed, the personal wars we have with ourselves that we never share with anyone except within our own personal thoughts where no one will ever hear or see.
It is that part that I think about, it is part of me, who I am, what do I do with it? What can I or we do with it? Not go there at all, or go there fully? I think both are a wrong solution, extremes are never good. So my thoughts are to find a way not to ignore it but to understand it so that we can become a more fully rounded person instead of a one sided individual that becomes a type of black and white, known and predictable in their ways with no interesting sides to them.
We have the ability to adapt to our environment, our situations in a way that makes us very unique. The one thing that would stifle that is fear, fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of lack of understanding of ourselves. This will put us at a place of frozeness. The only way we can move into new territory is to try to step where we have not gone before, that place I would like to say is within. Find the answers to what lays ahead by looking inside to see what you need to do to handle the different environment you find yourselves in. You may be surprised to see some answers you wouldn't have seen if you didn't try and act upon the one thing you have kept buried. A change has to come to get different results than what you have. Doing the same thing all the time and expecting a different outcome is considered insanity. So what do you have to loose, try something different with a bit of control on your side........

Searching for the answers......

Time of Change

What do you do when things change around you and you are not in control of these changes. Punt!!!! Ok maybe not use football as the answer but it felt good saying it. You want it to be different but realize that like me you can't change the people around you, all you can do is accept what they have chosen and move on. I think this is the hardest thing to do because it makes you feel hopeless and without power to make a difference.
The difference I realize is how you handle the change and your outlook. A positive attitude is more than half the battle in winning at this game called life. Not many people like change, or like to accept it especially if it is not something you asked for.
Some changes come by others choosing for you and then there are those that you choose. It is the ones that others choose for you that are the hardest to accept and process. Once you get around the emotions of the change if you try to look at like how can I make lemonade out of these lemons (as the saying goes) you will have a good chance to make it better for yourself.
It is changes of the magnitude of starting over that I am dealing with. I have made alot of mistakes in this process that I am going through. I have hurt some people which I am sorry about and wish not to repeat doing. Even with the knowledge of what not to do you still ask the questions of what to do. No one seems to have the answer that seems to work for you. Something that will magically make everything alright. So what is the answer>>>>>?????
Do you have one? Hiding is not an answer, or drinking your life away, but friends do make things a bit better in the area of handling the changes that are going on.
So in the lessons of life, like I heard it said that "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it" goes the same for you and I, that unless we examine the past of our lives we are doom to repeat what we just went through.
Remember something, you are not always the best to see yourself, that is what friends and acquaintances are for. So don't think you know yourself fully, test it against what others might say and weigh it out against what you see...........