Posted on by BWThomas

Every day comes with challenges and choices; sometimes we fall, but we should always get back up.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson

I wanted to lie in bed longer this morning. How important is it if I get this blog out, in the big scheme of things, or any scheme at all? It’s important because if I stop, I might not start up again. A few Mondays of not bothering is the end. It’s not the end if there is a reason we stop something, but if we stop for no reason, then it probably is the end. We might be going through a period of self-doubt, wondering why bother, no one needs my ramblings.

But, I need them; they’ve become a part of what I do, and I like myself better when I write, just like I like myself better when I eat right and exercise. I read an article by a doctor over one hundred years old, and he says the most important thing is to exercise daily. It is better to exercise and be overweight than be thin and not exercise.

We often belittle what we can do, because we aren’t perfect. If we can walk and do, we will be healthier, even if we have a cookie, cake, or ice cream sometime in the day. Moving and stretching are good for us.

Yesterday was a time to get together, share a meal, and laugh. We need to take the time to get together and enjoy the time we have. Time flies by fast; our grandson is already three, and our granddaughter is six months old. It won’t seem that long, and he’ll be twenty-three and she’ll be turning twenty-one. Those twenty years will fly by regardless of how I fill my time.

Finding a creative outlet and enjoying creating something lifts our spirits and feeds our souls. Getting our fingers in the dirt, cleaning up debris, and neatening up the yard gives us a feeling of accomplishment. Spring blooms make us smile. If we plant them, can we make someone else smile as they walk by?

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises. Leo Buscaglia

Life is here, and we need to make the most of it. It won’t be perfect, we worry about things that won’t happen, and are blindsided by those that do. Things work out because we adjust to the realities of life, we might think I couldn’t manage if, but we can, whatever that if is.

One of the best things Mom and Dad did was show us what perseverance, courage in the face of adversity, and facing challenges head-on looked like. They planted in the spring, harvested in the fall, and dealt with what came. There is no other way to live a life. We might not be planting our seeds in soil, maybe we are planting seeds of a different sort, but they will still need time to germinate, they will still need to be tended and nourished as they grow to fruition, they will need to be harvested, and new seeds need to be sown.

We might feel like giving up, we might have given up on some of our dreams, but giving up is a sad thing to watch. We’ve seen a house that looks like the occupants have given up. The backyard is full of things that were once or still are treasures, but it all looks like junk to an onlooker. The house looks as rough as the backyard. Whenever I watch shows on hoarders, there is always a story behind the hoarding, usually one of loss. The question begs to be asked: What would it take for the hoarder to find a better way to deal with loss?

We, too, might be so broken by loss we can’t find a way out, and maybe we should think, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill

We cannot force someone to hear a message they are not ready to receive, but we must never underestimate the power of planting a seed. Unknown

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another. Napoleon Hill

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Posted on by BWThomas

What if we can always get better and that is our true purpose in life?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Those who seek a better life must first become a better person. Jim Rohn

Listening to Jordan Peterson in an interview yesterday, he said, “We have a moral obligation to be optimistic toward the future.” What would it mean to be optimistic about the future, and what does it mean not to be?

Some people go on like the sky is falling and everything will be ruined, and we may be in for hard times. Some of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents went through hard times but through it all they moved toward better, and why are we thinking we can’t move toward better too?

We should always be moving towards better, but that doesn’t mean mistakes aren’t made, unintended consequences don’t occur, and we don’t have to regroup and reorient ourselves. How can we make this year better than last year? Spending our time worrying about what someone else has to do won’t make our lives better, we might feel we can analyze world affairs better than those tasked with the job, but I’m pretty sure it’s hubris on my part to think I see things the people in charge don’t see. How to make things better is for the people in charge to interpret and implement, and we will see the results in the fullness of time, some things they will do well, but there will be mistakes and missteps, and there will be no matter who is in power.

Since most of us have no impact on governance other than our vote, and many don’t exercise our vote, does complaining give us a sense of power? Do we waste our time complaining about what we can’t change instead of changing what we can? It seems like a thankless job to pour your heart and soul into running a city, province, or country; do we need to be grateful people are willing to step up and take on the challenge? How could anyone make most of us happy? Good governance might not be about making the people happy, but doing what is best for the city, province, or country, and what is best might make many people unhappy.

You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius

We know the government isn’t run perfectly but is our life? I see improvements I can make, but it is easier to complain about what someone else should do than to do what I can do. Perfection is the enemy of the good, and things could be so much worse. I have to remind myself to be grateful for how things are because it is a miracle we have the lives we have, with the conveniences, opportunities, and security we enjoy.

Jordan Peterson tells us we shouldn’t take for granted things going right because they could as easily, or more easily be going in the other direction. How often have we felt something could have been catastrophic, but somehow we escaped?

Are we all wandering in the wilderness; why else are self-help books so popular? Do we need to come upon a burning bush to set our feet on solid ground, find a purpose, and work on becoming better? What would our lives look like if we improved something every year? How would our relationships, health, and interactions in the community improve? Who would we encourage, and whose lives would be better because our lives touched theirs?

Jordan Peterson talked about firing on all cylinders, and he was asked how many cylinders there are. Maybe an unlimited amount was his answer. What if this is true and finding the right cylinders for us is the challenge? What if we can make a difference in our own and others’ lives? What if being better is truly possible if we choose to make it our goal?

You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. Jim Rohn

When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves. Viktor E. Frankl

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. Maya Angelou

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Posted on by BWThomas

Find meaning in the small things, everyone can do something to make life better for someone.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. Michael Jordan

What if Jordan Peterson is right, a mother can only be as happy as her most miserable child. What if this is true about society as well? What if we don’t want to see the terrible toll drugs are taking on our society because to look away means we don’t have to acknowledge a society that isn’t working for everyone?

What would it take for society to work for everyone? What would it take for someone to exchange meaninglessness for meaning? How must the change makers of the past have felt when they brought meaningful change to hurting souls? When they had a cause they believed in that would make life better – not for themselves, but for people they didn’t know, and weren’t born yet.

Where do we find meaning in our lives? Do we find it through service to others, our families, our community, and the greater society? Our society with all that is wrong with it, has many people who feel the hurts of others and want to help. The problem might be we are misusing empathy. He who is compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate. Jewish folk saying

I’ve been listening to speeches from the ARC Conference (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship). Have we lost our way as a civilization and need to return to what helped us build a great civilization, but not a perfect one? It might be true we will always have the poor, but relative poverty is not the same as abject poverty.

Society grows and changes and we have to grow and change with it, but we have to keep the moral compass that has kept us moving forward for thousands of years. If we lose our faith in ourselves, our religion, and our society we will be ripe for other ideologies to take over. We have seen other ideologies rising, but we haven’t seen other ideologies create better societies. I think it is time for a revival of meaning and values and this is what ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship) offers.

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. Les Brown

Working farms are being used as tools to overcome addiction. An active working farm resembles a life of recovery in that the work is never complete. Having grown up on a farm I can see how caring for animals, fields, and daily chores could help someone build a life of sobriety and meaning.

The other day, I heard someone mocking the idea of working for free on a farm to achieve sobriety. Would they rather see them on the street addicted to drugs? It is hard to know how to fix hurting souls, but if all we want to do is tear down other people’s ideas, how do we move forward?

We know working with animals helps people heal. We know meaningful routines are good for us. We know we need to remove ourselves from the environment that causes the problem. We know farm life is considered by many to be a wholesome life, and this might be exactly what addicts need. On a farm, they could find meaning, and structure, and be part of something bigger than themselves which will prepare them to go back out into the world, as a person with a contribution to make.

What if we are moving into a new era of people finding hope, meaning, and faith? Finding faith in themselves, a higher power, and faith in their countries, communities, and the world, and this is the antidote to a hurting world? We sometimes think people of faith are small-minded, but what if they are the big-minded people, not all of them, but enough to be the change we need? What if we can do all things through God who strengthens us? What if hope and promise are here, what if the future is bright?

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. Dale Carnegie

If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. Henry Ford

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently – they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius… Steve Jobs

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Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to those who leave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Crisis creates opportunity. We should never waste a crisis.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Opportunity is everywhere. The key is to develop the vision to see it. Jeremiah Say

Crisis creates opportunity, and even if we don’t take advantage of the opportunities they are still there and someone else will take advantage of them. How often do we look back over our lives and think I was there but didn’t see it? Many of us have been waiting for opportunities but only looking back do we see the opportunities that came our way.

I look at other lives and think why didn’t I see what they saw, what was I thinking when X was happening, why didn’t I jump on board?

How big of a life can we live if we are opportunity seekers and opportunity takers?

It’s time to start thinking about planting seeds, in our gardens and lives. The seeds we plant, like the thoughts we think will bear fruit. Are we planting for one season or for years to come? Are we planting something that will bring a blessing to generations?

My son tells me we are the worst generation; he thinks we haven’t been very interested in the legacy we leave behind. We haven’t been the builders but instead the users, not the conservers of what we inherited.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston Churchill

How do we look at what is happening in the world without fear? If it is possible, we have to have faith we can deal with what is coming, that embedded in chaos and crisis is opportunity. We need faith in our traditions that have helped build lives based on courage, fortitude, and trust.

We know if life is to be better for us, it has to be better for others. What does better look like, is it one more big purchase, one more memorable holiday, or is it building for the next generation? What choices need to be made as individuals and society to build better? Do we trust life can continue to improve for coming generations?

What would our grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents think of what we’ve built? Some of the good is very, very good, but some of the bad is very, very bad. How can we build a society with less of the very, very bad?

Why when we have an array of choices do some of us choose the very worst of what is on offer and others choose the very best, while still others muddle somewhere in the middle?

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Francis Bacon

Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat. Napoleon Hill

Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. John C. Maxwell

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Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to those who leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Competition and national interests.

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

In almost every case, whenever a tariff or quota is imposed on imports, that tax is strongly supported by the domestic industry getting the protective shield from lower-priced foreign competition. The sugar industry supports sugar tariffs, textile mills lobby for tariffs on foreign clothing. Stephen Moore

Who gets to weigh in on this conflict between America and the rest of the world? As a common person, I’m throwing out my two cents. What if what we are most afraid of will make us stronger and more resilient? What if we grow from adversity and become complacent with ease? What if all the angst can be harnessed for good and we will all come out better on both sides of the border?

What if self-reliance is needed because reliance on others means we can’t always get what we need? What if the price of a bargain is too expensive? What if fair trade and not free trade is what we need? What does fair trade look like, and is fair according to whom?

What if this trade war with America costs my household, but Canadians start doing things we should have been doing, we might all prosper in the end. We finish the pipelines to export our oil and natural gas to the world. We secure our borders.  We build houses, build up our country, and make things work. What if the kick in the pants we need comes from South of the border?

I listened to an interview with Jean Chretien, who served as Canada’s Prime Minister from 1993 – 2003 and turned 91 on February 1st. He tells us this is nothing new, we’ve always had trade wars with America, and he started dealing with America in 1968. What we sell to America they need.

There’s no such thing as a genius in politics, or at least I have never met one. There are only human beings, some better than others, who rise or fall on the challenges they meet. Jean Chretien

This might be a glass half empty, half full moment, and we choose to look at it either way. We have good people to negotiate for Canada, we have to trust they will do their best, and we also have to trust that America does not want to throw a wrecking ball into the parts of our joint economies that work tightly together. We must stay calm, Canada is not going to be the 51st state. Will we end up better because we get our house in order?

Let me tell you, my fellow countrymen, that all the signs point this way, that the 20th century shall be the century of Canada and Canadian development… For the next 100 years, Canada shall be the star towards which all men who love progress and freedom shall come. Sir Wilfrid Laurier October 14, 1904

A weaker currency is a national tariff. After we get a weaker currency, we have to take advantage of that. Or else, we will waste it once more in inflation and in the inability to raise competitiveness. Uday Kotak

Everybody talks about tariffs as the first thing. Tariffs are the last thing. Tariffs are part of the negotiation. The real trick is going to be increasing American exports. Get rid of the tariff and no-tariff barriers to American exports. Wilbur Ross

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read more, have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

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Thank you for reading my books, and a special thanks for leaving a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Is it the best of times, the worst of times, or does our attitude make it so?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare

Today a new President of the United States is sworn in and the world trembles, or will these next four years pass with some good and some not so good happening, with unexpected consequences benefiting some and harming others?

Do we have faith we can deal with the challenges ahead? No one knows what is ahead, but we all know it will be different. We see change is coming, but what if changes weren’t coming? Would life be better? Better for whom?

In the game of life, there are winners and losers and no one minds being on the winning side, but when we think we might not be on the winning side we’d like to stop the changes.

My parents lived through a lot of change, some good, some not so good, but they rode the roller coaster of life to the end. My parents lived through one world war, and my grandparents lived through two. We will live through the changes coming, some we may fear but never face, and some we aren’t worrying about will hit us with a force that brings us to our knees.

Is faith what will get us through, faith in ourselves, our countries, our fellow citizens, and our governments? Do we have faith in a higher power? We often don’t know what the ignition point of a powder keg will be, and we feel a powder keg building up with inflation, immigration, the rich getting richer, wars, and rumors of wars.

Is it possible to live in a precarious world with faith to deal with what comes? Hasn’t it always been a precarious world? What can we do in our own lives to make life less precarious? Being part of a strong family is a safe harbor in times of trouble. If we are resilient and able to see what is still possible and make the best of what is, life will be better than if we feel we are victims of circumstances.

A man sees in the world what he carries in his heart. Johann Wolfgang

Victimhood does not build a good life, what is the difference between facing hard challenges and feeling like a victim? When we face hard challenges do we have to find the courage to deal with what is, and when we feel like victims do we not take advantage of what we can do to make our lives better?

We are told we always have a choice, sometimes the only choice is our attitude, sometimes our choice is between two goods, and sometimes we have to choose the best of the bad. Our choices might be for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Is what we stand up for, rail against, and support, for the greatest good? Do we even know what the greatest good would be? We always come up against the unexpected consequences of our decisions. Sometimes we get good consequences from bad policies and bad outcomes from what we thought would be good.

What are we reaping today because of policies that seemed good? Are we too short-sighted to know what the best policies are? What does a fair and just society look like and are we closer or further away from one than we were years ago?

Policies are in place and many were made with the best of intentions. When we see policies not working do our governments have the strength to turn things around? Will there be unexpected consequences for every change we try to make?

We might think we know the obvious direction we need to go. But we don’t know, we can’t know what the unintended consequences of our best intentions will be.

Even if we fear what the future holds can we be grateful for what we have? Building our country and making life better for our citizens is the government’s job. We need to trust the leadership we’ve chosen, and as we choose new leadership make the best choice, and have faith that they will do their best.

Is it best to hope for the best, and prepare for the worst?

Never let a bad situation bring out the worst in you. Choose to stay positive and be the strong person that God created you to be! Unknown

No one else can choose your attitude for you. Your perspective and choice of attitude gives you the power to be in control. Irene Dunlap

Choose the positive. You have choices, you are master of your attitude, choose the positive, the constructive. Optimism is a faith that leads to success. Bruce lee

Thank you for reading this post. Please return and read more and have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to those who leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Canada an American State or America a Canadian Province?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Canada-American relations for many years did not develop spontaneously. The example of accord provided by our two countries did not come about merely through the happy circumstances of geography. It is compounded of one part proximity and nine parts goodwill and common sense. Harry Truman

Donald Trump is having a moment at Canada’s expense. He might not be able to unite Americans, but he’s bringing forth a rallying cry in Canada. In four years we might thank him for the greater unity we experience because we often don’t appreciate what we have until we think it is threatened.

America has always wanted more territory and felt its manifest destiny was divinely ordained to settle the entire continent of North America. Of course, North America was all one at one time, and America left and became the prodigal son. They got rid of a King and yet have always seemed to want one.

They even have the hubris to be insulted we don’t want to be a state, yet we are not insulted they don’t want to be a province?

America is not our enemy but they have not bought our goods because they are being nice to us. We have relied on them, they were an easy market, and now it is being thrown in our face. America is not our problem, we are our problem, America spurred us on before and perhaps they will spur us on again to become what we can be. Not poor little Canada beside the great America which is how some of us, and some of them, see us.

We’ve prided ourselves on good government and must return to that. We need to trade with the world, and we need to protect our borders. Our Prime Minister said we don’t have a core identity, is it any wonder the Americans want to give us one?

If I had influence over the minds of the people of Canada, any power over their intellect, I would leave them this legacy. Whatever you do, adhere to the union. We are a great country, and shall become one of the greatest in the universe, if we preserve it. We shall sink into insignificance and adversity if we suffer it to be broken.  John A. Macdonald

We may not like Trump for his views on Canada, but we are stuck with him for the next four years. We can live with him and like it, or live with him and hate it, but we can’t change him or America. He got elected to do what is best for America, not what is best for Canada. We need to elect someone who will do the best for Canada, a leader who sees a great destiny for Canada. We are a lot more than just not an American State. We have to build the Canada we want, and have the potential to be.

There is another way to look at this; Trump has upset many with his tempest in a teapot with Panama, Greenland, and Canada. He isn’t even the President yet, why is this being mentioned now, and how is this going to serve him? We don’t know what his reasons are, and some might think I’m giving him the credit he doesn’t deserve, but are we supposed to be upset about this, so we aren’t upset about something else? When he is President, and none of this happens, will what he does want to do seem reasonable?

Is he playing chess while some of us don’t know what we are playing? It’s good advice to not underestimate your opponent, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Interesting times are ahead, each country has to do what is best for them, and with adept leadership, Canada will remain the true North, strong and free.

When I’m in Canada, I feel this is what the world should be like. Jane Fonda

Our country has everything required to be a global leader in physical, food and energy security. We have an incredibly rich resource inheritance. We have a diverse, educated and peaceful population. We’re located far from most conflicts and we’re next door to the world’s richest nation. Perrin Beatty

We are the second-largest country on Earth, which means that we have the second largest, or perhaps even the largest, stock of natural resources on the planet – an enormous source of strength and responsibility if we would only recognize it, capitalize on it, and make its future development and stewardship a national priority. Preston Manning

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read more and have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to those who leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

We don’t choose every change in our lives, but can we decide to make the best of them?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Nothing endures but change. Heraclitus

What if we speak our lives into being? When we say “It’s a good day,” it is. When we say, “We can’t, or that’s not for people like us,” it becomes our reality. What if what we say yes to and what we say no to in life is how we build everything, and every choice we make, makes us? If we accept this and own it, what choices would lead to a happier, fuller, and more impactful life? How much good do we talk ourselves out of, we don’t put in the resume, so we can’t get the job. We don’t apply so we won’t be accepted. We say, “Forget it,” before we voice what we want.

What do we want? Is that what so many of us don’t know? Are we better at knowing what we don’t want than what we do want? Change is stepping into the great unknown, and that is hard – we know what we have – but what if an adventure awaits? Especially for those who have raised children, are close to the end of their careers, and retirement looms. There is the FIRE movement of young people wanting to retire early.

We might have been looking forward to it, but now it is here or getting close and we are comfortable or at least familiar with where we are, and maybe we start thinking what if we work one more year, or ten more years? Will we be happier and healthier if we work right up to the end? Do we get too much of our identity out of our job? Are we okay with being retired? Is it different if we choose to retire rather than being forced to retire? Do we want partial retirement?

As a New Year approaches we naturally think about what we want to change, have more or less of in the New Year. What if we are a couple and the changes we want to bring into our lives aren’t the same? We don’t even feel comfortable exploring the different directions we might want to take. Do we take turns, we’ll do what you want to do and then do what I want to do. But, the question still is, what do we want, and what changes are we willing to make?

One must never lose time in vainly regretting the past or in complaining against the changes which cause us discomfort, for change is the essence of life. Anatole France

If the GoGo years of retirement are getting to be upon us, we don’t know how long they will last before the things we wanted to do, see, or accomplish are beyond our capabilities, and like Mom used to say, “All I want now is my old rocking chair.”

For some there’s never been enough time, for others, there’s never been enough money, and for many, there has never been enough of both. But, is a lot of that all in our heads? There’s time and money for what we decide there is time and money for. Otherwise, how can some people find the time and money in seemingly the same circumstances? They sell the house, rent, and travel the world. They sell the business, return to where they grew up, and build the home of their dreams.

What would we change if we could go back forty years to prepare for now? We can’t do that, but what if we could do something to make the next twenty, thirty, or forty years better? If we are lucky we have twenty, thirty, and even forty or more good years ahead of us, what do we want to do with them? Do we have a decision, or decisions that need to be made to make the years ahead of us the best they can be?

The time will pass whether we do anything with it or not. What would we like to change, add, or delete from our lives?

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. Rumi

If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry it’ll change. John A Simone

Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t. Steve Maraboli

Thank you for reading this post. Please return and read more, and have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to those who leave a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

Are we turning our promises and hopes into plans?                  

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans. Peter F. Drucker

On April 16, 2019, I wrote about the fire of Notre Dame Cathedral in my blog. It was and still is on our bucket list to see, and this past weekend it reopened. Because it has been rebuilt we can still see it. But, how many things we put off will be things we never do?

My oldest sister had a chance to visit the Holy Land some years ago but didn’t go because of the unrest there; she and her sister-in-law canceled the trip. Another chance never presented itself and how often in life is it now or never to do the things we want to do?

One of the problems many of us have is balancing time and money, when we have time, we don’t have money, and when we have the money, we don’t have the time. We can go through life this way, and I remember Mom and Dad always saying, “This is next year’s country,” as a kid, I didn’t get it, but I do now.

Maybe next year we’ll go to England and Paris, maybe next year business will be better, maybe next year… We can live our lives waiting for next year. What if we figured out what we want and put a plan in place to make it happen? The best-laid plans may go astray, but does that mean planning is not beneficial?

In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. Dwight D. Eisenhower

If we get too set on our plans we can be disappointed because something will come along to derail our plans. But if we don’t plan we won’t know how to adapt to the circumstances of life. Can we be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances while keeping our goals in mind?

Making the most of life by wringing as much enjoyment from it as we can will make our life no matter how long or short the best it can be. This morning, holding my little granddaughter, life is sweet. Spending time with grandkids can be sweeter than traipsing the globe. If we are lucky our choices are between two goods and we can make the best of what life offers us.

We sometimes have hopes, promises, wishes, and dreams but if we want to turn them into reality we will have to turn them into goals and plans, keeping in mind plans may have to change as circumstances do.  

Long-range planning does not deal with the future decisions, but with the future of present decisions. Peter F. Drucker

A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at. Bruce Lee

There is a time to plan, a time to act, and a time to rest; it is wise to know which is which. Emily Rodda

Thank you for reading this post. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

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Thank you for reading my posts and a special thank you to everyone who leaves a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.

Posted on by BWThomas

What do we know for sure that isn’t true?

Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas

The starting point for a better world is the belief that it is possible. Norman Cousins

My grandson tells me with certainty that lettuce and apples don’t go together. He’s talking about my purple cabbage apple dish on the table for dinner the other night. He doesn’t differentiate between cabbage and lettuce but knows what he knows. Where does this certainty come from, and how many of us suffer from the certainty of things which are not true?

How many of us have been held back by believing things that weren’t true, we didn’t have enough, guts, determination, smarts, luck, education, opportunity, money, looks, courage, etc? Looking back I see so many missed opportunities, why didn’t I see them when there was time to make the most of them? Taking advantage of opportunities is hard work, and sometimes I realize I didn’t work as hard as I should have to make things happen.

I’ve been better at helping my husband in his business than I was at trying to develop one of my own. It is sobering to realize all the things we coulda, shoulda, and woulda done, if only. What was holding us back?

Perhaps life unfolds as it should, and ideas and opportunities find their home with those willing to do what needs to be done. Even the best of us can’t do everything, and take advantage of every opportunity, but it seems some people have vision and some don’t.

What if a good life is learning from our missteps and our accomplishments, but what if we learn the most from our failures? Not wanting to fail or make a mistake leads to a smaller life. Every time we risk failure, we risk success and sometimes we might fear success just as much. What would happen if we took the chance, became a big success, and our lives changed forever? We love our life and worry we might not love our new circumstances as much.

Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives. Tony Robbins

Do we want to stand out and fit in at the same time? Do we have to choose one? Life is about choices, and what we choose to believe might be one of the greatest choices we make. What we believe about ourselves, the world, and what is possible creates our habits, and our habits create our lives. Self-control might be the most important achievement we can attain. Aristotle said, “We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.”

Self-control allows us to rule over ourselves, and create habits that work for us instead of against us. What if our habits hold us back the most, and if we develop better habits, we create a better life? What if courage is a habit, hard work is a habit, but it isn’t just working hard, it’s learning what to work hard at?

What if what holds us back the most is our beliefs, habits, comfort zone, and fears? What if a good life is available to all of us if we make the right choices, create the right habits, and take advantage of opportunities in front of us? What if small changes over time create big dividends in our lives? What if not doing the small thing holds us back, we could do the small thing, but we want a big thing, not realizing by refusing to make small changes in the right direction, we never see the big changes it would become.

Life is about choice, and we choose what to believe about ourselves and others. We can believe lettuce and apples don’t go together, or can we expand the boundaries of our beliefs, and perhaps our lives?

We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon. Konrad Adenhauer

In order to gain new experiences, to expand your horizons, to give fate – or serendipity or whatever you want to call it – a chance. And that only happens if we say yes to things. Charlotte Lucas

It is the power of belief that causes things to happen in our lives. Zeenat Merchant Syal

Thank you for reading this post. Please come back and read some more, and have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love.

To subscribe, comment, and see archives or categories of posts click on the picture and scroll to the end.

Thank you for reading my books, and a special thank you to everyone who has left a review on Goodreads and Amazon. If you click on the Amazon link and purchase an item I receive a small percentage of the sale through the Amazon affiliate program.