DAY TWENTY ONE Seize the day and seize your life Take a moment, before I say anything, and consider your life. Consider what you have, what you don’t have, what you need, and what it is that you want. Take stock. Where are you happy and where are you unhappy? For those areas you are happy, congratulations—you’ve done well. I am very happy for you. Now, for those areas in which you are unhappy, let’s talk about those. What needs to change in order for you to correct those areas? Surely if you knew this, then you would have already corrected these issues, right? Well, not necessarily. Sometimes we know what we need to do but we don’t do it. Fear, is a very powerful demotivator. It keeps us from the things we want for a variety of reasons. But faith, sometimes blind faith, conquers fear, so you always have a solution. An easier way to think of it is not to think about what might be wrong or what it would take to correct it, but instead to imagine what a particular area would look like if it were ideal and it were instead a source of happiness versus one of grievance. If you can do that, create a scenario in your head of what happiness in this area would look like, then compare it to what you currently have. This comparison always reveals answers you might not have considered. The next step isn’t about necessarily working methodically step by step to resolve the issues until you have happiness, it’s about accepting the ideal version as plausible, as desired, and pursuing it with your passion and your energy. You are shifting away from having what you don’t want into forging what it is you do want by thought alone. It’s a belief-shift. You are changing how you believe. Think about the areas in which you are happy. They came to be from the same mentality, you just weren’t consciously aware of it as it occurred. Now you are. It still works by utilizing the same principles. So that’s the trick, but another issue remains. Whether fear keeps you from changing the things that cause unhappiness or it’s dishonesty with yourself, both are destructive. To quell and conquer fear, one must master having and employing faith. A faith that instills within you the belief that good things are possible (as you have several areas of your life as proof), that you deserve good things (again, as you have areas of your life as proof), and that you can accomplish these things. Erase fear with faith, even if it’s blind faith at first. Blind faith will eventually be replaced by reason as you start to see positive outcomes in this approach. However, if it’s dishonesty you have within yourself, this is much more difficult to conquer because you have to restructure your worldview that is currently not reflective of reality. We all lie to ourselves, accept things we shouldn’t, settle for less, or tell ourselves we are unworthy in certain areas, so that we do not have to face the reality we are given. But what we don’t see is that we are in control of that reality. We have it because of the choices we have made; thus, to change it, we must make different choices. The first choice, is to see reality for what it is and not the lie we have told ourselves. The lie is usually one of negativity and acceptance of less than adequate conditions—thus the unhappiness we suffer as a result. If we tell ourselves the truth—that we are deserving of all things good, then we change our beliefs about those areas that have imposed limits and caused unhappiness. I make it sound easy—it’s not. It’s harder to be honest with ourselves than it is to be honest to the world. I myself struggle with this. I have areas in my life where I lie to myself about what it is I have or am willing to accept. My nature is such that I would sooner suffer the misery and sacrifice of not having love, in hopes it would return, than to move on and pursue it elsewhere. So I lie to myself that I am happy in misery. This is a ridiculous concept, it is an utter lie, and I simply lack the strength of heart to detach from a reality that doesn’t exist. My reality is one constructed in my mind of what can be, but not one that is. I cannot predict the future; nor can I live happily in the present awaiting a future without guarantee. So why do I endure this suffering? All I know, at present, is due to the fact that my mind and heart are in conflict on the matter. Thus, an amicable resolution escapes me. Yes, yes, I know—move on. I hear it every day. And this is where I too suffer from fear. I have a fear of letting go, for I do not believe the adage: if you love something, let it go, if it returns, it was meant to be. I’ve been on the giving and receiving end of that and neither time was is pleasant or true. I believe if you let go of something, you let go. If it comes back, then you have a problem of timing. So, that’s where I stand, briefly, but my question to you, and to myself is: how much longer are you going to go without what it is you want before you take control and get what you want? How much suffering, if such is the case, are you willing to endure before you are honest with yourself? How much can you take before you can’t take anymore? As I said yesterday, love is meant to be shared, not stifled, and if you, like me, infuse everything you do with love, then you must act to ensure that the flow is uninterrupted. It’s the only way you can exist completely. Today’s task: Today is about you. What you want. If you don’t know, find out. It’s not at all hard. Life, things, possibilities, love, the entire universe is your catalog from which you can place your order. Simply ask, believe, and receive. In order to make room for the things you want, clear yourself of the things you don’t. Let go. It’s difficult, but it’s a necessity. If you relate to any words I have told you yet, please understand these to be the most deep, the truest I have told you yet: Reader, dear reader, letting go of the things that cause us pain is painful. It’s a sad, unfortunate, but completely true paradox that is part of life. The process itself hurts like Hell. But in the end, we are better for it. So, if you have things you need to let go of, know that I know and feel your pain as if it were my own—and God knows I have my own pain, too much. It’s time to clean the house that is you, and that which is me. It’s time to seize the day; it’s time to seize life, in all areas, once and for all. We are all in this together, and I love all of you as dear friends. This book isn’t just for me—that’s how it started, but through sharing it with you, I’ve learned so much more about myself, about the world, and about others. This book, my friends, is about us. It’s about how to be happy despite the struggles we face. I have faith in you. I believe in you. I love you. May the Force be with you. AO
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 10:00:00 +0000