Wouldn't it be nice if when it came time to make changes in our lives, we could just look up ahead and see a bright, blinking arrow that would point us in the right direction to go? Well, life doesn't work that way, so it falls to us to recognize the signs, and to then take appropriate action.
The problems start when we fail to recognize the signs that are put before us; the very clues that tell us that we are capable of more than we are presently experiencing. We tend to see these "signs" as problems, and we push against them instead of recognizing them as the glorious gifts of insight that they truly are.
Photo Credit: FishmonkNo matter what problems you are facing, there is an opportunity for you to grow as a person, and to create a life where those same problems either don't exist at all, or they are no longer relevant to you. However, if you see those signs as problems that have to be solved - rather than personal growth opportunities - your entire life will boil down to nothing more monumental than simply reacting to your surroundings.
As this picture indicates, it's not just which direction that you look, it's what you see when you look there. Are you looking with jaded eyes that see everything in the worst possible light because of what you have been through in the past, or do you see a learning or growth opportunity in even the most extremely negative circumstances?
Make no mistake - life is not just an exercise in academia, or a chance for hearty philosophical debates about how things SHOULD be. Your life is hurtling before your very eyes right now, and the way that you look at your life is far more important than what you actually see.
- If you don't like your job, or don't feel like you are making enough money, that is a not a problem, it's a personal growth opportunity.
What do you need to learn, or what action do you need to take in order to improve your career status? If you are not happy with your career, yet you stay in your position anyway, what does that say about you, and what can you learn from that, and then take action on?
- If you are having issues with another person - a friend, family member, co-worker, significant other - that is not a problem, it's a personal growth opportunity.
What can you learn about yourself or that person that will make the issue go away? What steps can you take that will remove this person from your life, or remove their ability to affect your life? If you don't enjoy another person, yet you continue to allow that negativity into your life, what does that say about you, and what can you learn from that, and then take action on?
- If you are overweight and can't ever seem to stick to a nutrition or exercise program, that is not a problem, it's a personal growth opportunity.
What is the true reason why you aren't sticking to a healthy lifestyle? What skills, habits, or resources do you need to acquire in order to stay on track? If you don't like being overweight, yet you continue to allow yourself to be that way, what does that say about you, and what can you learn from that, and then take action on?
There are endless examples of this same concept, and you can probably think of a few that apply to your life at this very moment. The formula is very, very simple:
Something you don't enjoy in life = An opportunity for you to grow out of it
As long as you continue to see yourself as the victim of the circumstances in your life, you will continue to BE the victim. Being a victim is not so much as feeling the effects from any given set of circumstances as it is allowing yourself to BE victimized by those circumstances.
So, are you going to read this, become empowered, and then go right back over into the victim's corner, or are you going to come running out of there, fists up, ready for action?
The choice, as always - is yours. I hope to see you out in the ring!
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