Rise Above It All
Rise above the troubles
Many of the things that trouble you are not nearly as troubling as you make them out to be. Much of what frustrates you is frustrating primarily because you have chosen to see it that way.
What if you decided to see things differently? What if, instead of being so desperately troubled by all the troubles, you could simply accept them, deal with them, and move forward in your own way?
Certainly there are very real and important challenges that you must give your time and serious attention to. Yet how many of the other, more trivial things, keep you feeling down simply because you’ve blown them out of perspective?
Every so often as you go through the day, take just a moment to remind yourself how truly blessed you are. When you catch yourself feeling sorry for yourself, choose to turn it around and feel sincerely thankful instead.
Even the difficulties remind you of how fully alive you are. And alive in this world of endless possibilities is a very good thing to be.
Rise above the troubles. From a perspective of gratitude, you’ll see most of them are not nearly as troubling as you once thought.
Meet with resistance
It is the resistance of the air that enables an airplane to fly. It is the resistance of the mountain path that provides a foothold upon which to climb.
The resistance you encounter is not there to stop you. On the contrary, that resistance gives you something solid and palpable through which to move.
The faster you go, the more resistance you’ll encounter. So it is by learning to allow and to effectively handle the resistance that you make great progress.
There is nothing unfair about having to put forth effort in order to make your way forward. It is that very effort that enables you to go in the direction you wish to go.
Expect to encounter resistance, and welcome it each time you do. It is a confirmation of the strength you already have, as well as an opportunity to grow even stronger.
Go ahead and plan in advance to meet with resistance, so when the meeting happens it can proceed on your own terms. It is by encountering resistance that you arrive at success.
Feel your strength
Remind yourself how strong you can be. And then put that strength to good and meaningful use.
When you’re tempted to think that circumstances have made you their victim, stop and reframe that thought. See the reality that those circumstances have given you immense opportunity.
Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, feel thankful for the purposeful strength that is yours. Instead of running or hiding from the difficult challenges, let those challenges bring your strength to life.
Feel your strength in action as you confidently step forward and do what must be done. Feel the effectiveness of your strength as your efforts bring results.
Feel your strength as it becomes more present and apparent with each action you take. Feel that strength grow even stronger as you infuse it with positive purpose.
See each effort not just as an effort, but as a reminder of what a difference you can make. Feel your strength and feel the joy of using it to move life forward.
Feel the possibilities
Feel the energy of life as it fills your awareness. Feel the ever-expanding universe of possibilities that stretches out in every direction.
Feel the possibilities, for they are your possibilities. Because you do feel them, you are in the amazingly fortunate position of being able to bring them to life.
Choose to focus on an objective, and you will indeed focus the unique power of your awareness on that objective. Decide to take action, and just as soon as the decision is made you can be taking action.
You can perceive, you can evaluate, you can prioritize, you can plan and strategize and get the results you intend. And now is when you can make full use of your powerful capabilities.
Feel your purpose, feel your vision, and act on the possibilities that will share the goodness of that unique vision with all of life. Understand that every single moment is a spectacular opportunity.
What is most meaningfully possible for you is ready for you to make it real. Feel the beautiful, life-enriching possibilities as they come to life through you.
Rich in this moment
Do you really want to be rich? Then be rich in this moment, right now, where you are, with all that you have.
Let go of the need to control, the need to judge, and the need to possess, and feel the immense beauty of simply, authentically being you. Every richness you could ever truly care about is here for you to allow.
It’s great to have ambitious plans and meaningful intentions for the future. Remember that the way you’ll achieve those intentions is by lovingly harvesting the immense richness of right now.
You don’t have to fight for or wait for or hope for some future circumstance to make you rich. The experience of richness comes when you fully accept and celebrate in this moment that you have more than enough.
In the richness that is yours now, all you could ever desire is well within your reach. Feel the richness as it erases all doubt and gives you the confidence to reach even higher, free of need, filled with love.
All of life’s richness will come to you in some moment or another. Be rich in this moment, and let the richness continue to grow.
Where your attention goes
Where your attention goes is where your life will follow. Where is your attention going most of the time?
Is your attention consumed with resentment, judgment, envy and spite? Where do you think those things will lead your life?
Do you put so much attention on proving you’re right that you end up with nothing left with which to accomplish? Imagine letting most of that go, and freeing your attention for more positive and valuable pursuits.
There are so many beautiful possibilities for authentic and lasting fulfillment. Those are the things that deserve the power of your attention.
You can decide in this moment, and in every moment, to let go of the fear, let go of the worry, let go of the anger and let in life’s delightful richness. Turn your attention toward those things that make life a joy to live.
You can choose where your attention goes, and where your life in turn will follow. No matter what you may have chosen in the past, right now is when you can choose the best.
All is not lost
It may very well feel like you’ve been knocked off track. But perhaps, instead, you have found a better way.
It may seem like a setback. But perhaps it is instead an opportunity for you to fashion a more effective approach.
You may feel like you’ve wasted an enormous amount of time on something that didn’t work out. Yet in that time you’ve created much value that somehow, in some way, you can still put to good use.
It’s not any fun when things don’t turn out the way you planned. Yet many times, it may actually be for the best.
Step back from your disappointment and re-connect with your passion. Know that there is a positive and effective way forward.
All is not lost, because you still have the ability and the desire to make things right. Grab your fresh new opportunity to move forward, and run with it.
— Ralph Marston