We often know immediately when we make mistakes. With more experience we begin noticing the poor choices as they occur. Eventually as we mature, we recognize the bad decisions before they happen. Experiencing this gap between action and reaction allows us to choose a different response and hopefully create a more positive outcome. Unfortunately when we voice our cynical instincts to others, we are often accused of being pessimists. But recognizing negative outcomes before they occur does not make us party poopers or defeatists. It really just shows we are learning and becoming more self-aware.
We all wear masks to hide our true feelings. On occasion it’s to show support for others, sometimes it’s to deceive, and others it’s simply to protect ourselves. With the latter, when what we are feeling is so strong and personal that we can’t share our real reaction, the mask shields us by insulating our vulnerability and tenderness. But this pretend face is an illusion and doesn’t change what we really feel. Only when we have the strength and courage to align our inner and outer lives will the mask dissolve, and we stop pretending.
Evaluating our past efforts and planning for the future are important activities for growth and change, but we must not become so focused on looking back and planning forward that we are not seeing and appreciating the present. Each moment is a gift that we cannot relive. Centering our attention on what is happening now and being aware of how we feel and are impacting others will deepen our connection and enrich our experience in this world. We must avoid the urge to mentally time travel to escape our restless minds. Everything we need to move forward is always with us.
While our lives are very different, one common experience we share is the precious time in the morning when we transition from unconscious sleep to conscious awareness. Sometimes we want to pull the covers over our heads and retreat back into dreamy oblivion and others we fling our feet on the floor and charge off excited to tackle the challenges of the day. But, if rather than reacting to these early inclinations, we pause and consider what we are feeling, we will better understand and appreciate ourselves and the choices we have made and need to make to achieve our goals.
We should view our challenges as gifts rather than foes to battle against or obstacles to overcome. In this way, they serve to strengthen and test us to determine if we deserve our dreams. We must be willing to put in the work, navigate the distractions, and deal with the stress that come with pursuing what is most important to us. Taking the time to unwrap each challenge and understand what there is to learn and why it is in our path breathes space into the situation and dissolves the challenges, allowing us to see clearly and move forward.
Connotation Press is an online artifact that exists to publish and promote the finest art and artists available, and to provide a place for a wide variety of art to flourish. From the printed to the spoken word, from the auditory to the visual arts, from the tactile to the cerebral, their primary purpose is to provide the best possible showcase venue for the arts and artists that they publish.
Should I or shouldn’t I? Free will both blesses and curses us with this question every day in a myriad of ways. Some are trivial decisions, such as whether or not to hit the snooze again or have another slice of pie. But others, like whether to accept a job offer or a wedding proposal, significantly impact our lives. The greater the decision, the more we deliberate. We weigh the pros and cons, seek advice from trusted counsel, and sometimes just toss aside caution and reason and trust our guts. But uncertainty is probably a sign we are not ready to decide. When we are truly committed, all other paths disappear and we embark.
The dream comes first. Then the fear. We don’t really have anything to be afraid of until we know what we really want. It’s only after the dream materializes, that our doubt, apprehension and uncertainty manifest into our deepest fears and seem to thwart the realization of our vision. What we forget is that as long as we are feeling fear, we are on the right path. Fear is not an adversary to fight against or an obstacle to overcome. It is an indication that we are close to our dreams and encouragement to remain open and keep going.
Today’s world demands immediacy. Everything must happen now. We don’t have time to wait. Unfortunately life operates on its own timetable, causing what we experience to confound and confuse. Worse yet, the more we analyze and investigate, the more it doesn’t make sense. But we rarely have all the information. We are continually trying to put puzzles together with pieces missing. Whether it is our own evolving perspective, a cultural shift, or a new discovery, we need to be patient. Our understanding is not a mystery to be solved but rather a temporary affliction for which time is the antidote.
It’s so easy to focus on the people who let us down. After all, there are a lot of them out there — the ones always making promises but never following through. Dealing with continual and abundant frustration can cause us to change the way we view and interact with everyone. We spend so much time crafting our approach, believing we can find a way to manage them into better performance. Or even worse, we automatically condition ourselves to expect the worst to counteract the certain disappointment to follow. But others’ failures to respect commitments are not obstacles. They are chances for everyone else.
