Never Wait Till All of Life's Traffic

Lights Turn Green

Can you imagine getting into your motor vehicle, reversing out of your driveway, selecting a forward gear then just sitting there waiting for every traffic light between your home and your destination to turn green?"

That would be absurd. Yet on another journey, the journey of life, that is exactly what many of us do. We refuse to make a start because the conditions are not perfect.

Let me tell you something:

The conditions will NEVER be perfect!

If you procrastinate over minor details or the hurdles that will inevitably be put in your way you will be bound never to fulfill your life dreams.

The hardest part of doing anything is making a start. Ask any trades-person and they will all tell you that. The work is the easy part. Planning, assembling the correct tools and selecting the raw materials is the difficult bit.

It's much easier to proceed if you have a plan. So, let me ask you - do you have a plan? Do you write things down or do you just muddle your way through things, making it up as you stumble along?

Any task, no matter what it is, can be made so much easier if we have a list of clear instructions.

Have you ever tried to assemble one of those pre-packed items that comes with dozens of nuts and bolts and washers? Ever thought "heh, this will be a breeze!" and tossed away the instruction sheet after just a cursory glance? I have. You know what happens, don't you? You end up with a few bits and pieces left over and a construction that doesn't look anything like the picture on the side of the box. Then you start looking for that instruction sheet.

So, how do you make a plan for your life? Easy. You have a starting point (where you are now) and an end point (where you want to be). All you have to do is fill in the bits in between. It's much like driving from position A to destination D. Along the way you have check points B and C.

Make a plan for your life. Write out your plan in as much detail as you need or would like. There is a certain kind of magic in mapping out your path. Somehow it makes it all look possible, real. Add some key points and completion dates to your plan. The more detailed it is the more real it will become in your mind.

Just don't wait until all the traffic lights turn to green before you commence. You wouldn't think of doing that when you make a journey in your motor vehicle. So, why should you even consider doing such a thing in the journey called life?

Start now. Create something. Keep working at it and in what will seem like no time at all you will be well on your way to success. Try it. It's a whole lot better than sitting in your vehicle just idling and getting nowhere.
 

How To Stop Making Those Excuses

Make a list of all the positive things in life. 
- Focusing on the positive is one of the easiest ways to defeat the negative. 

Sing. 
- There is just something about the act of humming and singing that lightens the heart and lifts the spirit. 

Cheer someone else up. 
- Send a note or card to a friend that is having a tough time. The act of encouraging others will be encouraging to your own heart and mind. 

Have a back up plan (like keeping extra meals frozen for easy fixing on days when the motivation level is low). 
- Remember that some times the best plan is to have a plan B. 

Skip a chore or two to lighten the load (just be sure that skipping the to-dos does not become the norm instead of the exception). 
- Sometimes learning not to do everything can be a good thing.

Ask a friend to help you out for a couple of hours. 
- Sometimes just having the companionship will be all that you need to lift your spirits up. 

REFUSE to complain. 
- Negative words and negative thoughts will only pull down. Make an effort to speak and THINK good, positive and uplifting things.

Things are already looking up. 
- My circumstances have not changed, but my attitude about those circumstances has started to turn around. The excuses are always available but that does not mean that I have to choose to give in to those excuses.

Therefore, stop those procrastinating with excuses and take action.

7 Secrets for a Happy Life
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
 

We all want to be happy, but something always gets in the way. There is never enough time... or money. Somebody is always failing to do what they are "supposed" to do... or not do. Our boss, our spouse, our kids, our parents, our friends, government, big business, whoever... "They" aren't doing it right. "They" failed us. We are angry, and we have a right to be angry. But is that righteous anger making us happy?

Happiness is not something anyone else can give us... or take away from us. Happiness is what we make of our lives... or don't. Whatever our circumstances, we can create a joyful life... or a miserable life. It is up to us.

Here are 7 secrets for a Happy Life:

1. Respect Yourself: If I don't love and respect myself, who will? It all starts right here with ME. If I think that I'm a pretty good person, it doesn't much matter what anyone else thinks. And the irony is that once I like myself, most everyone else will like me too. People enjoy being around people who speak well of themselves - not in an arrogant boastful way, but with honest self-appreciation.

2. Forgive Everyone for Everything: Angry and happy don't mix. Flush out the angry, and the happy has a place to put down roots. Until we forgive everyone for everything, we hold on to anger and resentment. Once we forgive, we can become happy. Forgiving is not a gift to someone else - Forgiving is our gift to ourselves - a great gift - the gift of happiness.

3. Be Grateful for All of Life: Each of us has been infinitely blessed - beginning with the gift of life. Whatever may appear to be missing or broken on any particular day, our glass is not half full, it is 99.9% full. More practically, when we feel ungrateful, we become unhappy. When we choose to feel and express our gratitude, the act of feeling and speaking our thanks creates a happiness within us. The more we express our gratitude, the more we have for which to be grateful. Today and every day, take time to celebrate life - whether an hour's meditation in a quiet natural space, or a brief moment's conscious pause to breathe deeply and celebrate gratitude for life.

4. Choose Happiness: Everything in life is a choice. There is never anything we ever "need" to do. Every action and thought is a choice and has consequences - pleasant or unpleasant. Whether you go to work today, change jobs, smile at the bank teller, yell at your kids, complain about life, hold a daily celebration of gratitude for life - they are all choices. Happiness is a choice. Stay alert and make conscious choices for happiness.

5. Begin at the End: You can never reach your destination if you don't have a destination. Decide what accomplishments you want recorded on your tombstone. Take a whole quiet day to consider your life. Be very clear that your happiness does NOT depend on reaching your goal. In fact, it's the reverse. Your happiness depends on accepting whatever life throws at you while you walk the path toward your goal. What is important for your happiness is having a goal, and working toward it.

6. Start Today: Whatever you want in life, start today. Not tomorrow - today. Let it be a small beginning - a tiny beginning. Your happiness depends on starting today - every day.

7. Accept that Life is NOT "Supposed to be Fair": Know that there is no single way that life is "supposed" to be. Demanding that life meet our expectations is a sure fire recipe for a miserable existence.  Life just happens to us regardless of our best intentions. Our only path to happiness lies in being open to receiving whatever life throws at us - with Gratitude knowing that God is in control.