Life is Change

When you decide to change something in your life, prepare for a challenge. 

That is not to discourage you, but rather to inform. Any good worthwhile change, will have a challenge attached to it. The trick is not to give up when you are challenged, believing that you have reached an impasse.

If all things in life were easy, you would do the right thing immediately. Change is difficult. It is also the way life works. 

You can look at your life and see what is not working and make a change, or you can wait until it becomes impossible to continue the way you have been and Life will force your hand.

Either way, the change is made, but if you make it yourself, then you get to control it. You will decide how fast and how far you will go. You can power through the difficulties, or take a slow and more comfortable pace.

Lasting change for the better takes time. Have faith in your decisions and do not let the doubts of others dissuade you.

You may be wrong. You may try to make a change and find that it is not in your best interest.

You are allowed to be wrong. Trying something new comes with that risk. Learn to let go of ego, hold up your head and say, "Yes, I was wrong. I will try something else now." 

Do not give your power away to the opinions of others. 

A baby will make hundreds of mistakes before learning to walk, but if he gave up, he would be doomed to a life of immobility. His freedom and choices would be limited.

As will it be for you, if you go through your life with the idea of surviving rather than succeeding.

You did not come to Earth to lead a life of mediocrity. You are a star that fell from the heavens to shine its unique light upon the planet.

Decide how you want to shine that light, then take a step, no matter how small, to make it happen. 

The hard steps are always the first ones. As you train your muscles, the next ones will be easier. 

Soon, your new routine will be change, and you will find yourself living the life of your dreams, or at least, walking down a pleasant path to get there. ~Silas

From Adversity to Amazing

Would it surprise you to know, that many of your favorite artists, musicians and storytellers had difficult childhoods or perhaps faced challenges as adults?

They may still be going through them. You can see it in your periodicals. It is surprising and shocking. Your hero has fallen from grace.

Creativity can be a fragile thing. Some can tap into it at will. They decide to create and just start creating.

For others, there are fears and doubts. They don’t think they can follow their passions so they bury themselves in drug abuse, bad relationships and money troubles.

From those difficulties, they find the strong, passionate emotions they need to create.

They often stay in that bad place because they believe that the muse will elude them if they start to feel good.

This is not necessary. Creation is just as simple as believing in it. 

Think, dream, take appropriate action (occasionally stopping to reevaluate) and make it happen. 

Many people do their best work under adversity. A project is due in a few hours so there is no time to argue with themselves about it. They just jump in and do it. Often it is their very best work, because the worry and fear have kick started their creative juices.

“So,” you think, “I must be under great pressure and stress to create something wonderful? Why bother?”

Why? Because you must. Your soul is here to do work. If your ego does not cooperate, then you will be put into a situation where you have no choice.

So don’t fight your dreams! Stop resisting the idea of vitality, love and prosperity! 

If you must have a little adversity to create then give yourself some. Make it a controlled, environment. 

Set a time limit. Be serious about it. Use a timer or mark it on your calendar and honor it. Face your fears.

Jump in and act without over-thinking the situation (without putting your life in danger).

Risk looking foolish. Stop worrying about what others are thinking. Start creating, right now!

Before you talk yourself out of it. ~Silas

Reason, or Excuse?

Your life will always hold some challenges. they may cause difficulties in your ability to accomplish tasks and interact with others.

Believe it or not, the unique set of challenges you face are a blessing. They are the tools which will enable you to achieve your life's purpose.

Not directly, but through working around them and developing skills to overcome them. Spiritually speaking, your challenges can be your greatest treasure, if you use them to make the world, and your life, better.

Do not make the mistake of allowing your challenges to become an insurmountable obstacle. Use them as an inspiration to others, a bridge that helps you build strong connections. Do not allow them to become an excuse for having a below-average life, or for bad behavior towards others.

If you had a condition that caused you to limp, you could give up all physical exercise, and spend your days sitting in front of the television. If anyone asks about your life, you speak of the limp and how it prevents you from doing anything. That is your excuse.

Conversely, you could investigate and try forms of exercise that strengthen the muscles around the leg. You could go to school and learn a trade or skill that enables you to make a living without using your physical body. When people ask why you became a journalist or computer programmer rather than an aerobics instructor, or why you don't do certain forms of exercise, you mention the limp. It is no longer an excuse but a reason for your behavior. An explanation of why you do not do certain things, and why you have developed other skills.

Many of you live with emotional, mental or social challenges. You can work with these in the same way.
You may have moments where they create conflicts with others. Look at the situation and learn from it.
Be grateful that it has come up so that you can grow, then apologize if you have hurt someone. Your challenges belong to you, not them. You can explain or give reasons why you act a certain way ("I have ADHD, I'm bi-polar, I'm autistic/I have Asperger's Syndrome..."), but do not let it become a wedge between you and others. They are gifts and tools for growth. The greater the challenge, the greater the growth potential.

If you know someone with special challenges, do not insult or challenge them further. Encourage and empower them. Listen to them and show compassion, not pity. You have much to learn from each other.

Use your challenges as an opportunity for physical, emotional and spiritual growth. Don't allow them to be an excuse to halt your forward motion, or to hurt others. You deserve better than that. ~Silas