The only guarantee in life

If you spend too much time
thinking about a thing,
you’ll never get it done. ~ Bruce Lee

In my recent post—“Are you ready to do the thing?”—I talk about the one thing we’ve always dreamed of but have never done. For each of us, that thing probably looks different. Yet no matter how many good intentions we entertain, it won’t happen unless we make it happen. Or until we’ve run out of time. This, for me, is the catalyst. Because if I imagine a future in which I never did “the thing,” I could never forgive myself. I’m at a point where I’ve exposed my fears—of failure, of wasting time, of not being good enough (you name it, I’ve thought it)—and simply run out of excuses. And here’s the bottom line: There are no guarantees. We will never know if we’re good enough, or if we’ll fail. But there is one certainty: we won’t know unless we try.

What are you waiting for?

Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Just keep swimming

After nearly a month of illness at the beginning of the year, I’ve made several lifestyle changes. More sleep; less commitments. More yoga; less worry. More leafy greens; less processed foods. Reading more and writing a new book (which hasn’t made it from my imagination to paper… yet). Getting more organized and less cluttered; spending more time serving others. Doing the good stuff while eliminating the bad stuff, all in the name of balance. I start each day with positive intention; I end each day with gratitude and an asana. But now I’m sick again. Up until January, I had not been sick for over three years. Yet even though I’m doing everything I should be, there are still no guarantees. Once again, the single thing we can control is our response to any given situation. And at the end of the day, we only have three choices. We can tread water (get nowhere), sink (give up) or just keep swimming.

What’s your choice when the water rises?

Image courtesy of arztsamui at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

The possibilities are endless

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

It’s the possibility that keeps me going, not the guarantee.
~ Nicholas Sparks

The old saying, “there are no guarantees in life except death and taxes” is a bit depressing. And true. Lately, I’ve been tempted several times to give up on my dreams for Someday, thinking I may be better off abandoning Tomorrow’s long shots for Today’s status quo. After all, if there are no guarantees, it seems pointless to hang on to a vision that may never grow into fruition. Cue in Sparks’ quote here. Reading it was like an epiphany. Because it says to me that even though there is no assurance of what Someday will look like, I only need to keep the hope alive. I imagine this is accomplished by doing the things daily that advance my goals. And when I do this, much like the seedling taking root through tender loving care, the possibilities are endless. Even when there are no guarantees.

Do you need the guarantee, or is the possibility enough?

Shedding the old for the new

[Image credit: wyiangya]

Continuing my thoughts from yesterday’s post entitled Practice what you preach, I think the concept of discarding aspirations or life lessons that don’t fit into the scheme of things makes a lot of sense.  After all, isn’t that simply a normal part of life?  If something holds us back from getting ahead, doesn’t edify or build us up, then shedding whatever it may be — an unhealthy relationship, a hopeless dream, a self-defeating attitude, etc. — allows us the room required for new growth (which brings me back to the topic of butterflies outgrowing their cocoons).  We have to understand that hanging on to the old will only obfuscate (conceal or obscure) our ability to soar, limiting our full potential.  Either way, there are no guarantees.  So maybe the question isn’t if I practice what I preach, but rather: Will I discard that which keeps me from being all that I can be?  In other words, will I remain a cocoon, or emerge the butterfly?  Stay tuned, there’s still a half year left.

Are you trapped in a cocoon, or have you shed that which holds you back?