We Always Control Something

It has already been documented that I was up in the wee hours of the morning today. I strongly believe one of the reasons I couldn't sleep was because I was meant to see a Tony Robbins infomercial somewhere around 4 a.m.

I know Tony is a gifted man who inspires many. He said something on the infomercial that sparked this idea. Tony said that the reason people accept circumstances that they don't want to is because people are concerned with uncertainty.

This made me think, sure there are many things that are uncertain in life, but we must remember that we have some level of control in everything we do. No matter what is going on in the environments around us we always control our thoughts leading up to and during any situation. Also no matter what occurs in the outside world we control how we react to any stimuli.

I have been so blessed in recent years to be released from so many of my shackles of fear, but I'm still human. One area where I still encounter fear and uncertainty is my driving. As I've written previously, the stoplight before I go on to Highway 31 has driven me bonkers at times. The last time it did this I wrote about it. Here is how the situation broke down when you discuss elements of fear, uncertainty and control.

The Fear: I felt nervous just sitting at the stoplight. This nervous feeling really boils down to fear due to traffic whizzing by me while I sit in the car on a declining hill.

The Uncertainty: The unconscious thought I was having while sitting at the stoplight was I hope my brakes keep working while I’m sitting here with traffic driving by.

The Control: I know my hand is safely on the brake and I control the car. I can be patient any other time so I just need to calm down and be patient at the red light. When the light turns green I know I can safely make the turn.

I hope everyone can see how the process can be broken down to fit any situation and eliminate fear. I am sure there is someone saying there are situations where we have no control because so much ambiguity exists.

My answer to that is we can always control our thoughts and that makes a difference. Expecting to fully control our lives might not manifest instantly, but I challenge anyone to realize how much control they do have and make some momentum towards your dreams today!

Thanks for reading
Chris

This is What I Think About at 3 AM

I am working on about four different pieces that are in different stages of development. None of these are ready to share, but this simple thought is.

When we have nothing in a certain part of our life, something will do.

After enough somethings only the right thing feels like the proper path.

Many stop after one something or another because we grow weary or get scared.

I pray anyone who reads this has the courage, vision, and fortitude to make the right thing happen for his or her journey.

Your gut will lead the way and mistakes are bound to happen, but accept those beautiful lessons and keep moving forward!

Thanks for reading
Chris

Strolling Down a Familiar Street

I have come to a point in writing Don’t Be Afraid to Eat Soup with a Fork where I have put together an outline and I am trying to figure out how the bricks fit together and what additions need to be made. I am toying with the idea of adding a section about reviewing the basic lessons we learned as kids.

A wonderful episode of Scrubs reaired last week entitled my ABCs. It is a great example of how much more we can enjoy our tomorrows by reviewing the simplest lessons of yesterday.

The basic premise of Scrubs is that it tells the tales of what goes on at Sacred Heart Hospital through the eyes of the main character JD. JD often daydreams, but what made the daydreams of this episode special are they included Muppet characters like Oscar the grouch, Grover and Elmo. This back to basics, Sesame Street inspired episode had three main lessons to ponder at the end.

Always play nice

This is an easy lesson to remember and understand, however the practice of it can sometimes be difficult. I try to keep in mind that no one else controls how nice I am to them. I believe karma has a way of rewarding people who are consistently nice. Sometimes the rewards do not come instantaneously, but they do come to those who learn to share the sandbox well.

Always try your hardest

Again so easy to understand, but sometimes it is much harder practice. I think sometimes people slip up because the bar to try your hardest is not set there by society or some other outside force, but I challenge anyone to set the bar as high as they possibly can for themselves. I think we all have an inner sense of when we are trying our hardest and when we are not. Another reason sometimes people don't put their all behind something is because they have failed so many times before. Believe me; it is always about the eight times you get up. It is never about the seven times you fall.

It’s okay to cry

This is personally the hardest lesson for me. Many times I force myself to be happy when I'm really not. I think it is important to recognize when you are feeling sad and to cry if you feel like crying. Do what you need to do, and recognize that crying can be a form of love and happiness. When the tears have dried up it is time to play nice and try your hardest again!

Never underestimate your ability to learn something important from any source.

Thanks for reading
Chris

A Quick Thought on Building

I was writing an email today and this organically came out when my fingers met the keyboard.

“I understand Rome can’t be built in a day, but it can’t be built until construction is started.”

To expound on this, take hold of the dream you hold most dear and move towards it today. Even if you have no idea what direction to go, write down the goal confidently and the path will illuminate itself with time and effort.

Focus on today, enjoy today. Put joyful effort towards today’s step on the path or today’s brick in the coliseum. Sleep easy at night eliminating fear so you can take one more step or make one more brick for tomorrow.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Some New Rathjeisms

My friend asked me to write something up for him. In the process here are some lines that just came out of me. They are gifts from God and if anyone can find any use out of them, I consider that to be some cool beans. (Thanks Frog for that saying!)

The way to succeed in life is to have the courage to aim high and to keep enthusiasm to keep fighting towards your dreams even if the road to success is not a straight line.

Stay positively vigilant with your thoughts, if you keep a great attitude regardless of your surroundings the winds of chance will eventually blow in your favor.

Fighting is not about gritting your teeth and pulling your self through every moment. Instead have a smile on your face and charge through any difficulty that might arise on your journey. The key is not to curse the difficulties in life, but instead be thankful that you have the strength to overcome them.

The right path will illuminate itself if you follow your dreams, stay positive and work well with others. The shadows can be long, looming and confusing, but believe in the power of light. No matter what, expect to see it!

Haven’t done a piece like this in a while, I hope it finds you well.

Thanks for reading
Chris

My Highway 31 Theory Revisited

I can see Highway 31 anytime of day right outside my front window. The speed limit of the cars zooming by is supposedly 40 miles per hour, but when I am sitting still it seems so much faster. At times, nothing brings me more apprehension then sitting at the long red light waiting to make my left hand turn on to Highway 31.

I wrote a piece several weeks back on Highway 31. I am proud to report I have grown so much in a few simple weeks. I understand so much more about love, fear and how so many things in life are neither good nor bad, but I still found myself being nervous at that darn stoplight today.

Here is the process I found myself going through today:

I recognized that I was feeling nervous sitting at the stoplight today.
-It is pretty hard to fix a problem unless you know it exists.

I asked myself why was I nervous.
-The universe shows its beautiful ways when we have the courage to ask a question, it might take some time, but the answer will come to us if we stay positively vigilant with our thoughts.

I listened to myself ask the question and I was able to break down a cloudy confusing question down to some simple points.
-First I have my hand firmly planted on the brake so I wasn’t going anywhere. If I am firmly in my location there is no need to feel apprehensive even if cars are whizzing by me and I am sitting on a hill. Second waiting doesn’t bother me much any other time so I shouldn’t let it bother me now. When the light is red I just need to patiently wait my turn. When the light is green it is my turn and I can handle that too!

Even though this is based around how one certain intersection and I do not mesh well I hope others can see that the lessons learned from this simple situation can be applied to other things that happen in this beautifully odd dance we call life.

Something happened today at the stoplight that I had never experienced before. The wind was blowing quite hard and the lights were slightly swaying back and forth. I used this visual as a reminder how the winds of chance are always blowing no matter how simple or complex the situation is.

It is up to us through our thoughts and actions whether or not they will be winds of favor. We all have the power to make wonderful things happen, but it makes life easier when we expect those gusts to help us out.

Thanks for reading
Chris

Not in the Flow?

I have so many topics on my list of things I want to write about today, but the words just are not coming to me. Some might blame the prevailing grey skies that are looming over me. Some might call today “gloomy” or “bad”, but I am starting to learn not to label things. This is especially true when using such simple polarizing language like good or bad. Just how so few occurrences in life are black and white so few things are good or bad.

Even out of the worst situations imaginable like 9/11 or the Holocaust so much learning and love was born from the horrible suffering that millions had to encounter. The positive always wins out no matter what the situation. It accomplishes little to worry or complain about the present.

Take action towards the future you want to create today! Even if you can’t see any possible action you could do today, plan for the future. Write down what you want to accomplish in the future and write it in a way like you already accomplished it. It is one of those tricky things in the universe; believe your dreams before they happen, but be willing to let them go if they don’t come true.

I always try to keep the Garth Brooks lyric in mind. “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Set goals today even if it feels gloomy. Because even if things don’t work out how you had them planned in your mind’s eye, you are still moving towards greener pastures.

Yesterday I had about twenty minutes to write two emails. Both emails were pretty straightforward, but I just slowly meandered into writing the first one and it took about fifteen minutes. The next email, even though it was of the same complexity level it only took me five minutes and I didn’t cut any corners. I created the goal with my mind and my actions followed through without even paying too much attention to the clock. This is a simple example, but when we can master how to take a step a long journey just became more managable.

So I ask again am I in the flow? I wanted to write and I did write; just not what I had planned for this morning. It is a good reminder to be thankful for God’s gifts even if it’s not exactly what you had ordered up.

Conventional wisdom says a great day is 72 and sunny, but without the base of a gray rainy day how could we ever have rainbows?

Thanks for reading
Chris