Destiny and options

"When you remember that you have many options, 

you will remember that you are in charge of your life."

The Daily Om

Knowing that YOU have control of the choices you make in your life helps to focus on solving those challenges we face.  The lack of that understanding contributes to feeling anxiety as it relates to your future.

Letting go of those worries with optimistic thoughts will use your energy to move forward rather than standing still and not meeting the challenge.

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Life's Best Moments

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.  What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.

Thomas Merton

The roller coaster ride of emotions can confuse and jumble up the mind to the degree that you could be having one of life's best moments and not even realize it.  

Is it possible that there are those who are so wrapped up in their unhappy emotional state that they are ok with it?  Perhaps it is what makes them feel "normal" . . . therefore, they don't want to be happy?

Personally, I don't think so.  As a person cursed with anxiety and restlessness, I can say that the anxiety-ridden times are like walking on hot coals with no shoes on.  It is not something I enjoy and frankly, in these times, I pray for a bit of contentment to assist me in breaking out of the "bad attitude."

It is so important to surround yourself with positive, happy people.  Those who have the gift of seeing the possibilities in challenges and face them head on, laughing all the way can help you see their perspective, making the light at the end of the tunnel appear within sight by their example.  The challenge becomes a game more than the goal of the desired outcome.

We all have down times, even those positive, happy people.  The trick is to figure out how to break out of the funky mood and see the joy of the present moment.  Study your happy friends . . . something is working for them!

Discover your life's best moments, even when life isn't perfect . . .

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No promises

I try to remind myself that we are never promised anything, and that what control we can exert is not over the events that befall us but how we address ourselves to them.

Jeanne DuPrau

The Earth House

Being grateful for what we have been blessed with is not easy when life circumstances presents you with challenges.  

Part of it is the optimist/pessimist thing for each of us that is just human nature and who we are as individuals.

It seems like the key is simply keeping our state of mind in control of the circumstances while being realistic and responsible.  Acting like the situation does not exist could compound bad circumstances by not being responsible.

It is a delicate balance . . . such is life!

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The little things in life

It was one of those bad life phases where I found myself in and out of depression . . . a streak of bad luck made it difficult to be optimistic about anything, but I always had the faith that if I took one day at a time, being grateful for finding joy in little things that mean a lot, everything would be fine.
Today I'm looking back and realizing that those simple joys in life kept me going from one day to the next . . . and they were big things to me.
A big thing for me is happy music, especially when I'm down.
There are times in life when something to smile about is a big deal.

This post was originally published

July 2008 on one of my older

 blogs that is no longer online

Today I am feeling overwhelming gratefulness for little things in the form of stuff you buy at the grocery store. I know . . . I'm gonna have to explain this one :)

I finally got out yesterday to do my grocery shopping. It had gotten to the point of bare pantry shelves and refrigerator.  When I got down to my last two eggs, I knew it was time to get out of this house out of necessity.

When the waves of depression hit me last week, the usual comfort of food wasn't there . . . I didn't even want to eat. The only thing I really missed was Pepsi . . . I'm totally addicted to Pepsi. It was one of those times where I was hungry for something, but I had no idea what it was and didn't have the energy or desire to try to figure it out. Therefore, no incentive to get out of this house.

Don't laugh, but I did satisfy my craving for Pepsi over the weekend . . . I ordered Pizza Hut delivery just to have a Pepsi delivered to me . . . hmmmmm $20.00 for a pizza I really didn't want and my beloved Pepsi :) In retrospect, I should have ordered the chocolate dunkers instead of the pizza!

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I thought of was Pepsi. I could not get to the kitchen fast enough to get my first fix of the day . . . and for some reason, it tasted better than a Pepsi has ever tasted for me.

As I enjoyed my first drink of the day, it brought a smile to my face to realize that I am so grateful that I went to the store yesterday for one of those little things in life . . . or maybe a not so little thing depending on how you look at it . . . enjoying a Pepsi is one of those big things in my life.

So was the apple turnover I had this morning and the chocolate caramel pecan ice cream I had last night . . . my appetite is back and all the goodies I brought home from the grocery store are calling me this morning.  Thank God I'm no longer depressed . . . something else to be most grateful for :)

Get off your diet and eat or drink something that you are not supposed to . . . it will put a smile on your face . . . have a beautiful day enjoying all the little things that you love :)  Sometimes you just need to indulge yourself!

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The Optimistic Creed

To be so strong that nothing can

 disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and

 prosperity to everyone you meet.

To make all your friends feel there

 is something special in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything

 and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for

 the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the

success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press

 on the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times

 and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement

 of yourself that you have no time to criticise others.

To be too large for worry,

Too noble for anger,

Too strong for fear,

And too happy to permit

 the presence of trouble.

~Author unknown~

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Optimism and being open to possibilities

The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favorable or hopeful view."

Being open to possibilities is when one expects the best possible outcome from any given situation. Why go into anything, even waking up in the morning contemplating on the newly born day, without the vision that this is gonna be the best day ever. An optimistic mindset can lead to that awesome day . . .

Even when I go into my defeatist mode, feeling beat up, fallen down and momentarily hopeless, I am getting to the point where I can get back to a positive attitude and being open to awesome possibilities that my dreams and visions take me to.

Walt Disney is my greatest hero . . . the ultimate dreamer. His "crazy" dream became a reality that was successful beyond his greatest expectations. I've heard the stories of how many times he "fell down" and got right back up . . .

I absolutely love the following quotes . . .

some from my greatest heroes . . .

they are my inspiration.


"Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present."

Rudy Giuliani


"Become a possibilitarian.
No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are,
raise your sights and see possibilities --
always see them, for they're always there."

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale


"One of the saddest lines in the world is,
'Oh come now - be realistic.'
The best parts of this world were not fashioned by
those who were realistic. They were fashioned by those
who dared to look hard at their wishes and
gave them horses to ride."

Richard Nelson Bolles


"The world would have you agree with its dismal dream
of limitation. But the light would have you soar
like the eagle of your sacred visions."

Alan Cohen


"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

Walt Disney


"God didn't have time to make a nobody, only a somebody.
I believe that each of us has God-given talents
within us waiting to be brought to fruition."

Mary Kay Ash


"I dreamed impossible dreams.
And the dreams turned out beyond anything
I could possibly imagine.
You know, from my point of view,
I'm the luckiest cat on the planet."

Hugh Hefner

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