Daily Meditations for Tough Times

Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

This is an oldie but goody, but always true.

Whether you believe in God and reaping what you sow or karma or what have you - it's important to treat other people well.

The key is to treat people the way you want to be treated - not necessarily the way you think they deserve to be treated.

That means being understanding that people make mistakes.

Accepting that people are not perfect.

Allowing people to receive forgiveness if they are genuinely repentant.

It also means being more patient, loving, steadfast, loyal and even-tempered than you normally would be.

After all - you'd like to be treated with patience, love, steadfastness, loyalty and even-temperedness, wouldn't you?

Treat others the way you wanted to be treated. If you put positivity out there in the universe, you will receive that same positivity back. Not necessarily immediately or exactly the way you want it, but you will definitely receive it back. So start sowing positivity by treating others in a kind manner today.

Stick With Your Choices

Stick with your choices. Be decisive - make your decision - and then STICK WITH IT!

You need time, trials and error to see if your decision is sound. You will never learn this if you falter, vacillate or continually change your mind.

Make your choices and stick with it. Don't be afraid to act and do not act without thinking. Carefully consider your options, but don't dwell there overly long. Be balanced in all your decisions, but don't let fear or procrastination deter you.

Stick with your choices. Stand up for what you believe. Be determined as you set your course of action. And, if life eventually shows you that you need to alter, modify or even change your decision entitrely, then let it be. It's okay to be wrong (or slightly misguided) sometimes - it is pure foolishness to pursue a course of action that has no positive outcome.

Stick with your choices. But don't be afraid to change if needed.

Never Lose Your Confidence

Never lose your confidence. Though life is tough, times are challenging and others are doubtful – never lose your confidence.

You see, sometimes in the midst of life’s ups and downs, all you really have is your belief in yourself.  The world does not go out of its way to validate you, life will always throw you challenges that may temporarily stump you and there will always be obstacles to overcome.  So when friends are few and doubts loom large, what do you do? 

You return to your basic belief in yourself. You return to the feeling of confidence that has led you to accomplish all that you have thus far.  You cannot wait on anyone or anything else to motivate – you have to find that push from within.

When times are tough and fears arise, remember to find what you need inside of you. 

Never lose your confidence.

For  - often – that is all you will have left to continue your fight.

Keep Your Head Up

Keep your head up. 

No matter what is going on and no matter how bad it gets - keep your head up!

Keep your dignity.  Keep your pride. Keep yourself together.  Stay hopeful. Focus on the positive and allow the negative to pass you by. Don't buy into to other's pessimism and definitely do not dwell on things that you cannot change.

Keep your head up.  Keep looking towards the future. Reflect on what is good in your life.  Say positive things and be nice to others.  You reap what you sow, so remember to sow only positive things during this tough time.

Keep your head up. Remember who you are.

And don't allow this circumstance to get you down.

Just Ride It Out

Sometimes, life is so difficult that all you can do is ride it out.  What I mean is, things are so tough, that it is all you can do to just get through it.  You’re overwhelmed,  unable to move forward, disoriented, confused and temporarily stuck in place.  Your heart is in the right place, but circumstances are out of control, situations need to be dealt with and your life is simply in upheaval.

At times like this, the best you can do is ride it out.  Do your best not to be moved backwards, but try your best to maintain your position (and sanity) right where you are.  In other words, just hold on.  Don’t try to do anything too extreme, don’t allow yourself to get discouraged, don’t engage in any excessive planning, just hold on and remain steadfast exactly where you are.

Because soon this storm will pass and your life will resume as usual.  Don’t try to do anything extreme – just ride it out.

Be True to Yourself

Be true to yourself.  Know who you are.  Know what you are about.  Know your likes and dislikes.  Know what you will stand for and what is unacceptable.  Be true to who you are and don't feel like you have to conform to anyone else's rules.  As long as it is not immoral and you are not hurting yourself or anyone else, you are always free to be true to who you are!

Follow Your Own Mind

Follow your own mind.  Know who you are.  Explore your own options.  Decide what needs to be done.  AND DO IT! 

Don't be deterred, don't be misled and don't be derailed by anybody else.

Never Remain Stagnant

You should never remain stagnant. 

Many times you will become encumbered by things that you need to take care of.  You will also find yourself making side trips as you walk your life's path.  The key is to make sure you never remain in the same place (mentally, spiritually, etc.) for too long a period of time.

There's always room for growth.  There's always room to learn more, do more and definitely room to do things better.  Make sure you are learning all that life has to offer, are helping others and are continually trying to improve yourself.  Rest, of course, spend time with friends and family and enjoy your life, but never remain still. As an anonymous writer said, "The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth." Wise words, though a sad sentiment.

Never remain stagnant. Make sure your focus is always on moving forward.

Never Let Circumstances Get You Down

Never let circumstances get you down.  Never let anything get you so depressed, distressed or distraught that you can't see your way past it.

Focus your mind as best as you can on what is positive about the situation.  And if nothing is positive, then think about other things in your life that are going well to balance things out.  Don't re-hash, re-visit or ruminate continually on what's going on.  That'll only make things worse. Circumstances are temporary - they are ever-changing and rarely reliable.

Your job is to get through it with as much of your positive spirit intact.

Never let circumstances get you down.

This is Just a Test

Don't worry - this is just a test!  Oftentimes, problems will come along specifically to challenge you in areas where you are weak.  Lack confidence? Expect a close friend to blast you about how poorly you handled a situation.  Need to develop self-discipline? Expect life to overwhelm with a million decisions requiring a million firm decisions.

See, the trials in life are our friends. They help to make us aware of what we lack, where we need to devote work and provide us ample opportunities to assess, engage in some trial and error and then - finally - get it right!  And wouldn't it be great if you could become stronger, more confident, more mature and more in control of your life? Then you should welcome the many trials that will come your way. 

Think of them as your personalized self-development program.  If someone tells you that you can't cook to save your life, take some classes or download some recipes. If your hubby accuses you of being a negligent parent - first evaluate if he is totally off the mark, and, if not - then spend more quality time with your kids, listening to them and meeting their needs.

But again - don't worry!  This is just a test!  And as soon as you ace this challenge, you'll be allowed to move on...