A Bigger Picture

Sometimes I fall prey to old habits.  I am not proud of these moments.  They are actually annoying and tiresome.  But I try not to judge.  Life has it's ups and downs and the key to life could just be as simple as having more ups than downs but knowing to appreciate the downs and what the lessons are.  Charles Haanel, author of the Master Key System said, "Our ability to appropriate what we require for our growth from each experience determines the degree of harmony that we attain.  Difficulties and obstacles are necessary for our wisdom and spiritual growth."

I have always believed that I am here for some bigger purpose.  I mean how could I have had the childhood that I did if there wasn't a plan for me?  How could I survive the 9 lives of a cat relatively unscathed?  My difficulties and obstacles were to strengthen me, humble me, and help me believe in my bigger picture.

They help me find my unequivocal determination to better myself as a person and I hope this accounts for something.  And I do know that with self-discipline, determination and some good old fashion luck anything is possible.

One of my favorite sayings is, "The more I practice the luckier I get."  There is speculation over which golfer said it, some think Arnold Palmer, while others think Gary Player but in the end it doesn't matter who said it.

What matters is the truth in the statement.  Self-discipline plays a huge role in finding success, happiness and self-esteem.  Luck is born from these moments.  Some people say they don't believe in luck while others believe in luck but they never have any.

I used to say, "I am the luckiest unlucky person ever."  Well guess what.  I was exactly that.  Something bad would happen to me but something good would come out of it. Or it would happen the other way around.  Then one day I had an epiphany.  What if I just said, "I am lucky" and leave off the unlucky part?

I set out to focus on the things I could change, the manageable tasks, the baby steps.  And I realized, my focus were my thoughts and my thoughts became my reality.

Do you know that if a bad thought comes into your head, all you have to do is say the word positive and you change your thought process?  Our thoughts pave the road we are on.  Our thoughts take us places.  Our thoughts can change our lives.  Thoughts are our mental pictures about ourselves and everything around us and we have the power to choose what we think about.  

This power of thought allows us to envision what our everyday is going to be like.  Our thoughts can also take us by surprise.  Like thinking to yourself, "I want sushi tonight" and then that very night you are sitting at a sushi bar.  Simple right?  You thought something and it came true.  This is an example of what Malcolm Gladwell calls the "Blink Moment"  We all have them.  But life moves so fast and we don't always listen.  If we can hone the craft of listening to our thoughts, they can help us make the right decisions.  

If you are trying to reach higher in your life let your thoughts take you there.  We all deserve the best and we all deserve a chance.  We have to love ourselves enough to go after what is important to us.  We must believe in our visions, our dreams, and our ability to create the ultimate life worth living.

In this months issue of Inc. there is an article on the power of visioning.  Try an experiment.  Pick something you want and follow the steps to envisioning it into reality.  It can't hurt right?  And you might even have some fun.  You might even get what you envision!  Now isn't that worth the old college try?