The Opportunity To Do More

There is a saying . . .

"There are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile."

While I do not know who coined this saying, it is remarkably true when applied to most aspects of our lives. When we extend ourselves beyond expectation, we are transcending simply doing the correct or just thing by making a figurative statement that you are willing and able to do more than what is necessary.

Be it at your job, within your relationships, school, being charitable or in your home, when life presents us with the opportunity to do more, most people decline, opting for meeting expectations or rather doing just enough to get by. The idea of doing more is often too much, requiring too much energy and too much time. But what if we considered the idea of doing more as an opportunity that has been granted, perhaps even gifted to us? Again, there are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile. Sure, there may be more effort demanded of you initially, but the end result will undoubtedly be better than you could have ever imagined doing only what was expected.

Life does not demand that we go above and beyond in all that we do, but when we do, the reward is great. When we succumb to just getting by, life has a way of perpetuating your status of just getting by. So, consider doing more and be grateful for the opportunity and ability. You may not see the reward today, but your future will be grateful you did.

Revelation vs. Revolution

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.

- Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett was absolutely right when she said these words and they apply to all of us. But the challenge that most of us face is initiating change. 

Revelations happen all the time. These are the ideas, desires, wants, dreams, ambitions, and goals that flip our subconscious light switches and massage our gut instincts. Some fall by the wayside over time but others smolder in the recesses of our minds as nagging reminders of what could be in relation to what is. We all have those revelations that ignite excitement within us, but whatever happens to those revelations? Do you act upon them or do you allow them to retreat to safety? 

Well, my friend, you should take a good hard look in the mirror, because you are a revolutionist. You have within you the militant force of "I can" and "I will" and "Yes" that can force any of your revelations to the front line of possibility. Of course failure is a very real aspect of that possibility, but without starting your inner revolution, there is no possibility. You are stagnant.

For some, the idea of a revolution, leap of faith or overhaul of self and career is the last thing you want to endure. But no matter what station in life you are in, you must remember that it is your life. You are the only one who can make the change you want to see happen. Once you have made up your mind that you want nothing more than to venture down that path, help will gravitate to you, but you must initiate the journey and supply yourself with enough motivational fuel to finish along side those who have helped you or completely alone.

Start your revolution. Possibility is waiting.

The Courage to Purge

When and if we are honest with ourselves, we can often identify those forces, influences, habits or possessions that actively work against our overall well being, harmony and happiness. 

Unfortunately, the act of purging can be very difficult. Emotional attachment, wanting to remain popular and various other reasons can prevent us from living our best lives. In truth, it takes courage to purge. For some people, getting rid of old, meaningless items can prove to be incredibly challenging, but these instances are rare. Purging things like a smoking habit or things we just do not use yet hold on to in the event of something are more common.

A purging challege that we can all identify with is the purging of people. There is an old addage that states that some friends are for a lifetime and some friends are for a season. Be that as it may, separating yourself from a person who diminishes your quality of life can be devistatingly hard because of the history shared between the two of you. The process can take months or even years, as you grow apart in directions uniquely suited to your individual interests. Or, you could abruptly sever the connection in one fell swoop, going so far as to clear out all reminders of that relationship. No one wants to ever find themselves in this situation, but sometimes it is necessary.

Purging can manifest in many different forms, but if we all evaluted ourselves and our homes, there are bound to be things that do nothing but chip away at our quality of life. If not, then you are on a prosperous path.

For the rest of us, we many have to dig a little deeper to discover the courage within to remove toxins from our lives. Perhaps the opportunity to recirculate useful items to others will present itself, but before you think about others, think about yourself and what it means to live and function at your very best. You will be grateful you did.

Who Encourages You?

It is the middle of the week. The weekend may seem far off yet, but that should not matter. Hopefully there are enough positive influences and encouraging forces in your life to push you not only through the rest of the week, but through all of life's challenges.

When thinking about encouragement, we too often make the mistake of externalizing the most important facet of this inspirational stimulus; the root from which all other encouragement can shoot branches and leaves. That root is yourself. 

People will not encourage you unless they believe you have what it takes to push through the obstacles. Then there are those who may be in need of encouragement, yet exploit it by transforming that positive energy from a moving force into nothing more than consolation. They misinterpret the intention and fail to absorb encouragement as fuel for the purposing of moving forward. Instead, they absorb that wasted energy and wallow in self induced failure. It's similar to putting gas in a car that has no alternator. An alternator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and without an alternator, most, if not all, modern automobiles will not start.

Positive, encouraging energy may abound in your life, but if you do not convert that energy into fuel or metaphorical electricity, you are basically conceding defeat.

You are the foundation of what motivates and drives you forward. Sure, there may be high expectations or people depending on you to deliver high performance and awesome results consistently, but if you are incapable of looking in the mirror and convincing yourself that you are here, at whatever capacity or whatever role, for a reason, then you need to truthfully reevaluate what you are doing in relation to what it is you want to do.

Challenges have a limitless array of options in terms of the way they manifest themselves in our lives. When you believe you can overcome is when the external encouragement will latch onto your positive energy and turbocharge your outlook and ability to achieve.

For some, encouragement can only come from within. This may spur or even exasperate feelings of loneliness or abandon. But encouragement should always come from within first, regardless of who you are or whom ever supports you. Some just need to muster enough so that it sees you through the end of whatever challenges you are facing.

Remember, encourage yourself first. Then absorb the rest. You will be grateful you did.