Soar like an Eagle in the midst of a Storm

What you are capable of achieving is heavily based on how much you want it.  When it means enough to you then you can do it.  Figuring out how and when the right time is, is never easy and finding a balance between what you think is the most important thing to you and the reality of what is actually the true realities of life are often blurred and veiled from our eyes.  This is because our eyes can be selfish and self centred and deceitful from reality.  However, when you are willing and committed and persistent you will get yourself there every time.  You can always take a small step in the direction of your dreams.  Because dreams are very big, they require more than a single step, they require many steps and a lot of patience.  They require more than a number of mistakes and failures and they require the one thing that most just cannot commit to - namely persistence.  There is absolutely nothing about your present situation that prevents you from allowing your dreams one step at a time.  Use each setback, each disappointment, as a cue to push on ahead with more determination then ever before.  Don't abandon the good you have in your life and make the effort to remember all the god things that you have experienced and hold them close for the tough steps towards your dream.

Ah no not another Pimple!

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.  This is a very true statement.  We may from time to time try to fool ourselves into thinking that this is not so and that if we forget about something, or "put it out of our head", then the consequences will just be forgotten.  But life has a way of dealing with matters such as this and the hard reality it teaches us, is that we need to learn the full story and get the full picture, before we can think to move on particularly from a situation, which keeps rearing its head.  I hate the analogy (but I suppose that it does create a clear picture) of a pimple that is squeezed, but not everything comes out of it and thus it forms a new head, which if not removed, will stay for that much longer.  Firstly, if we try to remove it when the head has not yet formed, we actually do a lot of scarring, but we never get to the root of the issue.  We sometimes have to wait for a circumstance to be fully visible, or understandable before we can do something about it, because by then we probably have the whole picture and we can then take hold of the entire situation and begin to deal with it.  We can put warm water on the pimple, we can clean it and then we wait for the right time, when its head is ready.  I know that it presents a terribly ugly picture (but life is no easy place) but once we have opened it and removed it, there a real feeling of relief and it is like a huge burden, or pressure has been lifted.  We also know that the wound will bleed for some time depending on where it is and pain may accompany the process.  But we need to see it for what it is and that is a healing process, which is beginning and the opportunity for real learning to take place.  Only then, will we truly know that the lesson has been learnt and we realise within a few days, that this thing that was bothering us so much has disappeared from our lives.  Healing takes place quicker than we think when we are in the right place and life continues at its usual pace without letting up or worrying about the pimple we may have just had.  We sometimes have to be patient as we wait for the "head to form", but it will be worthwhile because we will then truly know the meaning of peace and happiness because we will have removed the obstacle for once and for good.

Shake it up bud!

You cannot be your best without first being yourself.  So much of success is about confidence and feeling passionate about an endeavour and how to accomplish it.  Negativity will merely gnaw away at the confidence and sow seeds of doubt and worry.  We need to be resolute and believe in the goals and dreams we set.  We need to take the best from each learning moment and nurture such thoughts and create a belief system, to convince our brains that we are able to do and be as good as we think we can be.  Success breeds success and the more determined we are to reaching our goals the more chance we stand of actually reaching them.  Be highly effective by being highly authentic.  It is no good merely copying from others or trying to do what is the norm, or the rules.  We need to get where we need to be, using our own unique gifts and talents and even though it is good to learn aspects of our goal from others whether through discussing or watching them ultimately, we need to discover our own unique way of accomplishing success.   Take a moment to reflect on the ideas and principles that have real lasting meaning in your life.  Always realign yourself with these things and make them your highest priorities.  If you are being pulled in every direction by forces beyond your control, take time to realign yourself with what you value most in life.  Get to the basics of the things which ignite you and make you happy.  What is important in your life, is what you decide is important and this decision will ultimately create who you are.  Whether it is popular or not, whether it has consequences or makes some less happy or comfortable, the only way to complete the race of life with your goals achieved, is to take hold of your yourself by the scruff of the neck and make it happen.

Getting to the right place together.

We need to make a promise to resist the notion of giving up.  As life rambles on and our decisions become more telling and significant to our future, we can be tempted to say this is "too tough" or "I can't see this working in the future".  These are exactly the times when we need to look at the things we have and which can motivate us - those things which have played a role in our decision making in the past and which can motivate us to continue on our path as opposed to coughing in the towel.  We all go through times of greater and lesser motivation and success is often short lived.  There are very few guarantees in business life these days and no sure thing in relationships.  It is about finding the right partners and then looking for commonalities and areas where the core expectations, core values and a common goal, or purpose are the most telling aspects. If these core values are too far apart the relationship will falter and yet if the goals and dreams are the same, then the success that is borne from this relationship can bear major fruit, for a long time.  Sometimes I think that it is better to start at the beginning and really get to know what the path is, to forge the path together and work at the things which need to be the things in your organisation which establish the culture, things like professionalism, passion for what you do and unbending integrity even when the industry or the competitors choose to do it wrongly.  Eventually the right people end up with the right people and even if it takes some time, the results are worth the wait.

Rock on Baby

There is a big difference between being busy and being productive. Our lives are constantly on the move these days and thus being busy is a very common thing.  There is so much between careers, relationships, finances, and ambition to keep us busy for years on end.  How often do we not respond to people when they ask how we are, by saying "I'm so busy".  But don't confuse motion and progress.  We can be as busy as all hell, but if we are not using the time to produce results, then chances are we are going to make little or no progress.  We are probably in the wrong place.  A rocking horse keeps moving, but never makes any forward progress.  Many people are like that and we need to protect ourselves from falling easily into this habit.  This is what it easy a nasty habit that creeps in one day and stays for a lifetime if we are not careful or willing to make a change.  We can stay in one place moving back and forth, but never progressing, staying comfortable within a bubble which does not move.  You can't achieve what you do not attempt.  Everything in life comes from an attempt.  Everything!! It may seem like the biggest risk of your life but if you never make that attempt you will never have the chance to realise that there is something better than you could imagine. The simple truth is that the path between wanting and having, is doing.  It may be that the right thing and the easy thing is rarely the same thing, so while we have the chance, we are better off doing what matters and not merely what is convenient.  There needs to be some fulfilment in what we do and not merely what is easy.  Our choices need to give you strength and motivation to succeed.

Change is necessary.

This is true, whether we are willing to surrender to it, or not.  Change is the process of life itself and there is very little we can do, other than to embrace the moment here we find ourselves in and move forward despite what we feel, or what we would like to be the outcome.  In fact some may say that everything is changing every second of our lives.  Perhaps we are naive, if we think that we can just stay in a place and it will be like a fairy tale for decades to come, but there is definitely a chance in life, to live better and a more fulfilling existence even with change.  Change in other words need not always be for the worst.  It may be very good and although some of the counter changes and effects may not be perfect to others around you the main change in itself could be life giving and not life threatening.  Change which is positive, can also be repeated so that it happens on more than one occasion and once changes keep appearing which point in the right direction this is a good indication of where you need to be and where you are headed.  However good or bad the situation is now, it will change.  That is one thing you can count on.  So never assume that you are stuck with the way things are. You can extract yourself from the monotony of life and you need not get stuck for too long, in a place, which may be comfortable, but is not the best life can offer to you.  Life changes and so can you.  People cannot be responsible for making you happy, because things change and they need to take care of what makes their lives fruitful and joyful.  However, what certainly can happen is that as people change, they find that they have the ability to make their spouse, friend or family even happier by their own changes.  So remind yourself, to take a breath of fresh air, from time to time and think seriously about what changes you want to make.  The past is long gone.  So spending time on what has gone before, serves very little purpose.  Focus rather on what you can do, not on what you could have done, or should have done.

Complete the dots and find the full picture

Everything is falling together perfectly even though it looks as if some things are falling apart.  It is difficult to see the whole picture while one is in the midst of life, especially when there is expectation and responsibilities around every corner.  It is not often that one gets to completely shut off from the world and refocus your attention on the task ahead of you.  But finding some time to find peace and calm is utterly necessary.  We need to trust in lifes' process.  Life is a circle and as a consequence you will be given opportunities to deal with most situations more than once in life.  The implication is that you will get a chance to make amends for errors and mistakes and similarly you may get a chance to repeat some of the best occasions in your life.  It is a matter of believing with a positive attitude that you can achieve those moments of enjoyment and growth and happiness, more than just once or twice in your lifetime.  It is about building a pattern based on the good things life has to offer and committing your time and energy to those times and people that make the difference.   Happiness is allowing yourself to be perfectly OK with what is, rather than wishing for and worrying about what is not. It is not about waiting for a perfect time and place, but rather about taking timing that is now and using it fully, to build into the next season, which can be even better.  You can expand your circle of life and get closer to happiness in your work and personal life, as well as in your relationships. See the chance of a better future and a happier time, live your life, despite its risks and dangers and give yourself a chance to complete your circle, with as few regrets as possible.  When life is "falling apart" things could actually be falling together... maybe for the first time.