Why is it so hard to be honest with ourselves?



I had a friend who was at a crossroads in his life; the same crossroads he had been at several times before. He was somewhat disappointed at himself for being here yet again and really disliked the feeling of being "stuck". He felt as if his life wasn't moving in the direction that he wanted. Well, there were some other issues within that issue, but to make a long story short, I asked him on a scale of 1 - 10, how ready was he to change. There was silence for about 10 seconds (first sign that maybe he wasn't as ready as he thought). Then he actually gave himself a "9". Well, I don't think a "9" would have paused after the question. There is a difference in "being" in a place and "wanting to be" in a place. It all starts with being honest with yourself about where you really are, who you really are and what you really are. Then we can talk about change.





You must begin where you are. -Jack Boland
(Live Well - Get Real)

Get in the Boat

"You can be anything you want to be", "You can do anything you want to do". Its the message we've always heard and the message that we continue instill in our young. So why is it so many people are still struggling to be and do?

I heard a well known radio announcer say something that registered at a deeper part of my being. It was predestined that I was in my car at that particular time just so I could hear that statement before he left the airways. He said " ..Become Passionate About Your Gift". Now stop and think about it for a minute. Even though I've always encouraged people (mostly youth) to discover what their natural gifts and talents are, this was also a reminder that even adults are still trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up. We often go after dreams that look appealing to us or we see another excelling in their gift and we adopt it as our own.

Jill and Jane both aspire to become runway models. Both invest time, energy and money into their efforts. Jill becomes a success while Jane works just as hard but can't seem to make the cut. The difference? It comes natural to Jill. Everyone can see that this is what she was born to do. Every one was born with some gift or talent to share with the world. Something you can do a little bit better and easier than the average person. Don't neglect it. Develop a passion for that and success will naturally follow. And that's success according to your own definition.

I'm becoming passionate about my gift, which has become my dream and my life's work. I'm taking small steps every day. And as fearful as it may be sometimes, a friend constantly tells me that "I have to get in the boat, before I can get out of the boat". I'm looking forward to walking on water one day :)

Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it. -Bill Cosby
(Live Well -Rediscover Your Natural Gifts)

Its Complicated

Only until you get to know me intimately will you ever know what I "really" think.

I wrote that thought after hearing yet another "SHE THINK SHES...." statements. I may think "this" about myself or "that" about myself, but you will never really know until you've made an effort to understand me. Its a lot easier to judge a book by its cover, but it takes effort to open and read the pages on the inside.

I was asked by an individual if I was "complicated". Wow, I never really thought about it. It would have been nice to immediately say no, but I couldn't. I am a result of old beliefs, new beliefs, past experiences and new experiences. The opposite of complicated is simple. Who in this world is simple? I've decided that it's OK to be 'simply complicated'.

To understand another human being you must gain some insight into the conditions which made him what he is. -Margaret Bourke-White
(Live Well -Seek Understanding)