Have you ever started out on something and quit before you received the reward of your efforts? Often times we start something, get frustrated, feel like we aren’t getting where we want fast enough and give up. Giving up robs us of the future of our efforts. No matter what the situation might be, perseverance is hard, but nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. We have to realize that anything worth achieving takes determination and effort. It’s hard to accept this in today’s instant, fast paced environment. We are falsely led to think everything in life should be as easy as clicking a button on Amazon Prime and having it show up the next day on our doorstep. However, most things in life just don’t come that easily.
Let’s look at your physical self. Maybe you developed a habit of smoking, drinking too much or some other destructive vise. You decide you want to quit and experience a healthier lifestyle. You will have to pick a day and start practicing not doing what you’re used to doing. You will need to replace the time and possibly the friends with something or someone else to occupy your time. You may need to seek out a support group. It isn’t easy to give up something that has become a habit, in fact it’s much easier to just carry on. It will take determination, but the goal is achievable. Many people have gone before you and have been successful. These people achieve a healthier, happier life in the long run, with no regrets.
Perhaps when you look into the mirror you don’t see the body composition you’d like to see. You might have too much adipose tissue (aka. fat), in places you don’t want it. You set out on a eating and exercise plan. Truthfully it would be much easier to just not care, sit and watch Netflix, and eat whatever comes your way. Eating at an ever so convenient fast food restaurant is quick and easy, especially when you are in a hurry and hungry. You have to admit, preplanned store bought food, that takes time to cook, tastes much better and is healthier. It takes a lot of effort to plan healthy meals, shop for the ingredients prepare the meals as well as take time out of one’s day to exercise. If you set your mind to it, practice day to day to change your current behavior and stick to it, you eventfully will achieve your reward.
Now let’s consider a career choice? When you think about what you want to do to make a living it should definitely be something you enjoy. You will be spending the majority of your time 40 years or more doing this. If your career choice isn’t something you enjoy, that is a lot of time being miserable. Many times people set out on a path and change later on because they realize it’s not the path for them. Sometimes people give up on the path they start because the process is uncomfortable and/or takes too long. Once a commitment is made, only those that continue, regardless of the discomfort of the process, receive the reward. It would be much easier to throw in the towel and settle for a career choice that doesn’t require so much up front dedication and commitment. However, you may be disappointed down life’s path that you didn’t stay the course. Nevertheless, if you decide the path you started on isn’t for you because it entails things you didn’t think about and you don’t think you’d enjoy spending the majority of your days doing this, it’s okay to change your mind and choose a different road. Still commitment and dedication to “a path” will be the way to eventually achieve your reward.
Finding a life partner takes a trial and error approach of meeting, and getting to know a person. Many of the people you meet along the way, won’t be the person right for you. You are looking for one right person and you may need to meet many to find the one. Today you can be computer matched based on your interests and likes. There are so many components to a person that even with match making sites it’s hard to find a perfect match. Again, commitment, dedication and perseverance come into play in this process as well. In time the right person will come along, but they’re hard to find if you don’t put in the effort to look. Don’t settle for what you don’t deserve. Set your sights high and find your best match.
From time to time we assess the person we are and the person we would like to be. Maybe you want to be a more joyful, optimistic person, someone who finds happiness in everyday activities. Character changes are the most difficult, because often times they are built in. However, as the saying goes, if there’s a will, there’s a way. If you have a will to achieve something, it can be accomplished. The work comes after the will puts it in motion. With daily practice we can change the traits we don’t like. Watch the response you receive from others when they see a happier, more positive you. Often the gift you give yourself, gives to others and in turn, comes back to you.
Remember when hiking up a mountain, you get to the top one step at a time. When playing baseball, games are won one run at a time. Life is lived one day at a time. Dedicate each day as step to achieving your goals in life, while practicing daily to embrace the positive aspects of yourself. One day when you look back you won’t regret the results of your efforts.
~Teri Storm