Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.

Hennry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sometimes, we make a quick judgment about someone and decide they just aren’t worth our time.  Their disposition and demeanor seem to be so outside our comfort zone we can’t relate.  It may be however, that we’ve only misinterpreted them.  People sometimes present themselves as hard and unlikable simply because they are unhappy.  That doesn’t mean they’re not worth knowing.

www.myeccentrictees.com site information and similar sites

www.myeccentrictees.com site information and similar sites

Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery.

Joanne Kathleen Rowling

Recovering from something traumatic, stressful, tiresome, profound or troubling can take a lot of time and effort.  It is possible.  Understanding, Acceptance and Perseverance can lead to recovery.  As simple as it is to say those steps, it’s infinitely harder to actually take them.  But Understanding is about having knowledge and wisdom together and using them concurrently.  What do you think?    

Mistakes are the portals of discovery.

In your life, you will be confronted with a myriad of choices and decisions.  I doubt it’s possible to accurately equate just how many choices you will make in your lifetime, but I think it’s safe to say out of the ones you’ve already made you’ve probably made some pretty big mistakes.  I’m not talking about the minor, insignificant ones.  You know, “Oh, I took a wrong turn and now we have to sit in traffic” or “Oops, I burned the toast.”  I’m talking about the whoppers.  The huge ones that change the course of your life and make you re-evaluate everything, or almost everything. 

You must understand, though, mistakes may feel like the end of the world, but they are not.  Granted some people make massive mistakes that take years to recover from.  Other people seem to never learn from their mistakes and are doomed to repeat them, over and over and over.  Sometimes, those nagging, backbreaking, sorrowful mistakes make you question your value and worth.  Sometimes those mistakes make you feel defeated and lost.  Even worse, sometimes your mistakes affect more than yourself.  Other people are hurt, or made to suffer.  It’s a terrible thing to have to live with knowing you cause someone’s death, or injury, or loss.  But it’s not the end of the world.  Want to know how I know?

Learning from our mistakes makes us better people.  If you take the time to actually sit down, examine the whole situation and figure out what went wrong, where and when, you can find a lesson to take you through the sorrow and pain of that mistake.  Beware though!  If you chose to ignore the mistake or actively deny it, the crisis or chaos that came with it the first time will happen again.  Don’t let that happen.  I’ve made some really big whoppers of mistakes, but I’ve honestly tried to learn from them.  For the most part I’ve been successful at learning from them.  You can too, you just have to be willing to Learn!  

PS: The title of this post is a quote from James Joyce.  I thought it was pretty apt.  Check out some of his books at amazon http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=James%20Joyce&tag=starlingtechnolo&index=books&link_code=qs

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.

Words once spoken by Henry David Thoreau

To me, that statement has special meaning.  I’m a dreamer first and foremost.  Yes I can get things done and be routinely diligent in my responsibilities, but left to my own devices I’d have my head in the clouds.  So actually following my dreams to make my life what I’ve always imagined is a great thought to live by.  What do you think?

PS: Originally found this picture from the following url: http://www.everything-beautiful.com/dream/ there's a great poem that goes along with it.  Check it out!

Take Time to Play

There is always work to be done.  It doesn’t go away and barring any of us winning the lottery, we’ll probably only live a life of pampered luxury in our dreams.  But you know what, that’s okay.  Real honest work can give us a sense of purpose, fulfillment and self-respect that is extremely important to our self-worth and self-esteem.  Sometimes, however, work, whether it be a 9-5er, the struggle against a disability, trying to cope with loss, dealing with someone with a mental disability, or your own, and life in general, you just have to let go and have fun. 

Play is just as important as work.  Not just relaxing and putting aside work for a moment, but actual, real Play.  Now playing for enjoyment can mean different things to different people and that’s fine.  Getting something positive out of the endeavor is the real value here.  If you like sports, play one.  If you like puzzles, put one together, if you like board games, go for it.  Even trying something new can be a great way to find a release through Play.  I never realized how fun surfing was until I actually tried it.  I never realized how bad I am at basketball until I tried shooting a few hoops.  There is a whole list of things I’ve tried and liked, and tried and didn’t.  Now I have a whole list of Playtime activities I can try to escape from the chains of work. 

Play for the simple joy of it.  Let it help clear your mind of all your worries, fears, and troubles.  Remember, the work will always be there, so take the time to have some fun and play! 

The Final Frontier

Captain Kirk would say that Space is the Final Frontier, and for a kick ass Sci-Fi show, I’d say he’s right.  But in real life, I think that the Mind is the Final Frontier, but also the true beginning of life.  Think about it, can you not think?  Throughout your entire life, you live inside your mind.  Your senses tell you of the outside world, but you interpret that stimulus, thereby forming your impressions of the world.  Now I’ve said before that if you change your perspective, you change the world.  That is so very true, but that change begins with the Mind.  Your consciousness is truly your own, and uniquely yours.  Sure, you might have similarities to some, or many, but no one is exactly like you.  For some, these ideas are not new.  For others these concepts have never dawned on them.  But guess what, it’s in the Mind’s eye that you draw meaning.

They say you can’t change anyone, only yourself.  I totally believe that is true.  I’ve had people ask me advice, wonder what they should do, waffle, and procrastinate even after I told them what I would do in a certain situation.  I think it’s because on some levels people don’t want to do something that goes against their way of thinking.  But if you learn to control and alter the way you think, interpret things, and perceive things from different angles, you might find that the broader scope of understanding can be very rewarding.  Think of it as fluid thought.  The process where you can take in multiple ideas, understandings and perceptions and come to a conclusion that is much more meaningful and dynamic than it would be otherwise.  Granted, if you’re new to this idea, it can be difficult to try, or even grasp.  But see that’s the beauty of the mind.  It Can adapt, and will, if you give it a chance.

Sometimes I get bored.  Not because I don’t have anything to do, but because I’m not challenged.  I need mental stimulation that is challenging and new.  This is a personal thing and I wouldn’t expect everyone to thrive on new experiences or intellectual puzzles.  But, changing the way you approach something can yield surprisingly creative solutions.  Your mind is the most powerful tool in your arsenal of personal creativity.  Challenge your mind and it will richly reward you!