Daily Meditations for Tough Times

Think Outside the Box

Challenge your thinking on a regular basis.

It's okay to get all the information, check your facts and explore possible outcomes. It's good to bounce ideas off your co-workers, engage in a fact-checking mission, do spreadsheets with pros and cons and sleep on it.

But once you get past all these necessities, it's good to think outside the box. Challenge yourself to move your thoughts to a different place. Contemplate something you've never done before. Question your assumptions. Find out why you do what you do, what worked before, what failed but seemed to have promise.

See, just because something is over doesn't mean you can't still learn from it. It may have been a humiliating failure or a roaring success, but there are still lessons to be learned. Re-live it, and re-evaluate what made it that success or failure.

Contemplate how you can do things better. Contemplate how you can take the knowledge learned in a whole new direction. Contemplate synthesis and re-organization. Think about consolidation and cutting away the fat. Whatever needs to be done, contemplate on those things.

Challenge your thinking. Truly think outside the box and see what new combinations will occur!

Remember That Which is Good

When you find yourself in a tough place, remember that which is good.

Remember that you are loved.

Remember that you have friends.

Remember that you have made a difference in this world.

Remember that your life is about something more important than clothes, cars, how big your house is or other material things.

Remember that you decided a long time ago not to sweat the small stuff.

Remember that - in the end - this stupid stuff won't matter at all!

Remember that you have a purpose.

Remember that you have your goals.

And remember that you will achieve the life of your dreams.

Remember you...

Push Back!

When life tries to push you, push back!

When people push you with negativity, you need to put out the best positive energy you have.

When circumstances tries to push you into depression, you need to re-focus on what's good and happy and pure in your life to re-direct your thoughts.

When traffic, work blues and neighbors get you down, you need to push back with the knowledge that all these things are trivial and - in the end - will matter little.

Don't just take what life hands you - PUSH BACK!

A Time to Yield, A Time to Stand

We all want to get along with others. We want to be the peacemakers instead of the troublemakers.  We want to be liked instead of giving offense. And we want life to flow as smoothly as possible as often as possible.

We watch our words, we try to help when possible and we look out for others as best we can.

But there is a time to yield and a time to stand.

There comes a time when getting along is outweighed by the need to speak up. 

There comes a time when being a 'team' player is coming at the cost of your personal integrity.

And there comes a time to stand your ground and do what is right.

No matter whose feelings you hurt, who doesn't like it and whatever the outcome.

Do you need to 'stand' today?

Reality is Nine-Tenths Perception

Reality is truly what you believe it to be.  If you believe there are no good men in the world, more than likely you rarely meet good men. If you believe that people are mean and cold-hearted, you probably run across a lot of people who exceed your expectations. And if you believe that doing something is a waste of time, it probably turns out to be just that.

Reality is Nine-Tenths Perception. What do I mean by that? I mean that what you believe (i.e., perceive to be true) has a really sneaky way of coming true. Your belief system is the quickest way to a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Just as you 'believe it' to 'achieve it,' if you negate it, it is fated to fail.

I grew up in an inner city neighborhood in Detroit. People told my family for years how bad the people were, how much crime we had and generally how unsafe we were.  We knew things were bad, but we never, ever believed that everyone was a criminal or that there were no good people left in the city.  And, sure enough, we met many good people and formed lifelong friendships with many.  We were not blind or naive to danger - we practiced situational awareness and were careful who we let in our homes - but we also didn't let the prevailing sentiment destroy our positive view of Detroiters.  And, for everyone who saw the bad in Detroit, bad things seemed to mysteriously happen to and around them.

Call it karma, call it attracting what is like you or whatever - we've all seen situations where we no more than decide what something is or is not (for instance, that it's impossible to lose 10 pounds), when that something comes true (we are forever stuck in a lose/gain cycle with that darned 10 pounds).

So what am I suggesting? That your reality be more of what you want it to be and less of what others think it should be.

If you are perfectly happy working for a non-profit, than quit listening to your friends who are advising you to shoot for the stars and get a job with a six-figure salary.

If you believe you could win a competitive scholarship, put your best efforts into crafting that winning essay or honing your athletic skills.

And if you believe you have what it takes to run for a council seat or sit on a local school board, don't let anyone stand in your way.

Don't let your reality come as a result of someone else's faulty 'perception.'

Get the Weekly Meditations Book!

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Buy your copy today at Lulu.com

And - as always - thanks for reading :)

Don't Be So Hard On Yourself

If you find yourself in the middle of a battle and realize it's not going so well - don't be so hard on yourself.

If circumstances have settled and things did not turn out the way you wanted them to - don't be so hard on yourself.

Life is life and we simply don't have that much control over what happens to, in and around us in it. As mentioned previously, the best we can do is try to 'control' ourselves, but even that has its ups and downs. Some days self-discipline comes with ease and some days it's like reaching for the stars (pretty much impossible).

But don't be so hard on yourself.

Remember: You did the best you could. You used all your best resources. You maintained as best you could your integrity. You gave it all that you had to give. And if you didn't - remind yourself you'll try better next time.

Sometimes a battle is more of a growth opportunity than anything else. For you or for that person in your life that sees you as a role model. Learn what you need to, teach what you need to and move forward.

Don't be so hard on yourself. Just move forward.