How many of us dread the alarm ringing early on Monday morning? That feeling of dread as you slowly open your eyes and realize it is the start of a new week? You begin to think of the numerous calls you need to make, the tower of paperwork in your in-tray, having to deal with your critical boss for another week or being at home alone with the children doing the mountain of washing that has built up.
Is this really what life should be like? That feeling of dread, knowing you have 5 long days to go before you get 2 glorious days respite called a week-end. Then again, maybe that respite doesn’t even come on the week-ends, and each day merges into the next dreary, long existence? Should our lives be this sad? Or have we made it that way through our own thoughts?
On the other side, do you know people who enjoy working, whatever that work may be? I bet they also enjoy other aspects of their lives as well; the weekly shop, walking the dog, playing with the kids, or even visiting the in-laws. Think about it. These people can come up against the same issues as you do.
So what is the difference? What makes them jump out of bed every morning looking forward to another day rather than wishing for a future date “when things will be better”.
Could it be they are just lucky not to have the same problems you do? Or could it be that no matter what the circumstances in life, some people are never happy?
“If only” becomes the catch cry. “If only I had more money” “If only my boss realized my potential” “If only I was married to some-one who understands me” Do you know some-one like this – perhaps very well?
What is the difference? We have all heard stories of human endurance when life brings horrendous circumstances. People lifting a car to save some-one’s life, people managing to travel many kilometres with a broken leg or surviving an unimaginable event like the holocaust. From his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, it states that “every circumstance conspires to make a prisoner lose his hold. All the familiar goals in life are snatched away. What alone remains is “the last of human freedoms” – the ability to “choose one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances.”
What attitude have you chosen given your circumstances?
Reverend Norman Neaves gave a sermon in Nov 21 1976 at the Church of the Servant in Oklahoma City, about a railway employee who was mistakenly locked inside a refrigerator rail car, and couldn’t get out. He tried to get anyone’s attention, and began banging on the inside of the car, but no-one heard him.
The man realized that if he had to spend the night in this car, he would freeze to death. As the hours went by, the man decided he wanted to record his last moments alive. He wrote on the inside of the car notes to his loved ones. “I’m slowly freezing to death” “I’m half asleep,” “I can hardly write” and finally he wrote “These may be my last words”…….which in fact they were. When the railway car was opened the following day, the man was dead.
The amazing thing about this story was that the freezing apparatus on the rail car was malfunctioning and had not been freezing properly. In fact, the car had not got below 9.4C (49F). In other words this man died because of an illusion in his mind. He believed he was going to freeze to death, and his life was over, when in fact there was no real reason to make this presumption at all. Even though the temperature had not fallen below 9.4C (49 F), this man died.
There are many of us doing this with our lives, aren’t there? We misread the signs of our predicaments, we presume things are far worse than they really are. This man let what he thought were his circumstances control his thinking, and the result was his death. He believed death was the only possible outcome from the time he was locked inside the car.
We all have the ability to look at ANY circumstance in our lives and make it the way we want it. Have you been in a situation when something occurred and you thought it was a tragedy, only to find some-one else looked at the opportunity of the event?
Unfortunately many people have a well worn track in their minds which they travel on a regular basis. This well worn track is traveled without thought, similar to driving a manual car. Remember starting to drive and the concentration it took? Now your hands and feet move automatically when gears are to be changed.
The ease of movement is a blessing here, but think of examples in your own life when you have automatically done something without conscious thought and afterwards wondered why you took the actions you did. Thinking about it further, you might see a familiar pattern in many aspects of your life.
If you want circumstances in your life to change then you must change. Become aware of your actions (or inactions) and thoughts. Results happen all around you.
Do you want to play a major role in your life, or be a passenger, and then complain about the outcome? The Choice is Yours!
Hey Brenda, I’ve been doing the same job now for 22 years or so. I admit I hate getting up in the morning, especially when the wind is howling and the rain is pouring down, but that’s only because I used to get up at 3am. Luckily now I can get to sleep in until 4am.
Anyway, once I get up and I’m off to work everything is cool again, because I know I am so much better off than a lot of people. I’m fit and healthy; I have a job and I know that because of it I can support my family. So many people don’t have that so I consider myself lucky.
Sure I would like a change, but sometimes that’s not all that easy, especially when I work for myself and walking away from it isn’t an option because I have too much invested in it. So I soldier on, with a smile on my face because it works it’s way to my inner being and in that way I don’t burden my customers with any problems that I may have.
I agree Sire. We all have problems and times when things get tough….no-one is ever immune to this.
However, I like what you are saying about putting a smile on your face because it works to your inner being. If we focus on the things we don’t want, they expand.
Choices are a wonderful thing. You may not really want to get up at 4am, but you choose to do it to support your family, and you recognize that you are fit and healthy and able to work. Sounds like you focus on counting your blessings instead of adding up your woes 🙂
Brenda,
Good motivational stuff! Yes, yes, yes – it’s all about perspective. Choosing to see the opportunity provides MEANING. It can make life so much more interesting too.
One of the things I love about astrology is providing a new perspective for my clients, so they can see the inherent opportunity in everything, no matter how crappy it feels sometimes.
Bring it on! That’s what I say 🙂
Thanks,
Tricia.
Very true Tricia – sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, and just by readjusting our thoughts, a whole new dimension opens up.
Brenda,
It is so all about how you perceive your circumstances in life. Our minds are so powerful, yet we tend to forget how to use it to empower us instead of holding us back.
The very fact of choice makes this as easy as changing our socks, if we understand that. Letting go of past burdens allows you the freedom to create a new mindset that sees opportunities in every experience.
Thanks so much for sharing this perspective today,
Val 🙂
Thank you Val – easy as changing your socks 🙂 Simple but true.
Thanks for sharing your insights with others. You really share valuable information and I am enjoying reading your ideas
Thank you Jim. I appreciate your comments
I love this last sentence;
“Do you want to play a major role in your life, or be a passenger, and then complain about the outcome? The Choice is Yours!”
In the end, truly no help is greater than self help. No one can do for you what you ought to do for yourself.
Thanks for sharing.
Exactly Tito.
We cannot sit back and wait for someone else to do the work for us.
Thank you for your comments
Thanks a lot for that extremely cool post.
Thanks for this post. Great words of advice
Thank you Thank you Thank you. Can’t say anymore than that.
This web site is awesome. Just love browsing and reading your articles and comments. Thanks
My thoughts got me to where I am now and they will continue to get my results in the future – so yes I am
Thank you yet again for your insights and wisdom in areas which affect us all
Wonderful website, thank You !!