Acceptance | Tracks In The Dust

Archive for the tag “Acceptance”

30 Aug 2012

Lost in the Extremes

Take some time and breathe deeply. Concentrate on the environment around you and make sure to take in the environment around you. Center yourself.

Lately I have been around many people that are struggling with the extremes in their daily life, their perspectives seem to take on as far south and as far north as life’s compass will allow. It amazes me that they suffer through it and fight the urge to not listen to anyone who dissents to their view.

People are willing stand up for what they believe. And that is a fundamental thing about humankind, about our need to be grounded to our faith, love and core values. But there is also room on other levels for understanding. Room to know that although we should be on common ground on our spiritual plane, we can allow ourselves the benefit of the doubt on other things. That there could be more than just one way to look at things.

In this election year in the US for example, people are choosing extremes. There is a requirement for each of us apparently to fall on one side of the line or the other. Over time the center line has moved, and so it is not centered evenly. Because of that we make heroes out of the people who say what we want them to say. So many ways it leads to hate and lies, to bigotry and deceit, to manipulation of the truth to suit ones view-point. Sadly it is the fuel that may divide the country even more.

Another example is how often people wallow in their emotions and refuse to change their attitudes or frame of reference. Like a badge they continue to carry their sadness, anger or bitterness along with them every where they go. They want to deposit more of it rather than change, and struggle to understand why others don’t feel the way they do.

I think we cannot be ruled by the extremes, we need to open our minds to the possibilities that there are other paths to take. For many seem to be lost in the daily routines, the weekly demands of life. And it would appear that for many of them they have no spiritual center, so they seem to also lack and emotional center. They feel out of control – so the way to reach a feeling of control is to embrace the extremes with definite lines that cannot be personally crossed. They are lost in those places which are a struggle to return from – that require self-examination and resolve. The willingness for that needs the spiritual center. So on it goes.

Lost in the extremes.

From KnowtheSphere great observation about things related

Posted in Before and After Things Change and tagged Acceptance, Anger, Doubt, Faith, Fear, Grace, Politics, Postive Thinking, Sadness, Sprituality, Who Are You

15 Aug 2012

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“What Are People Thinking?”

Today a very wise man was talking about how often we get frustrated throughout our day because we are always wondering “What are people are thinking?”

What are they thinking when they are standing in the 15 item express line when they obviously have 20+ items in their cart?

What are they thinking when they pull out into traffic so quickly right in front of you and then drive 15 miles under the speed limit?

What could they possibly be thinking when they are standing in the middle of a public place and talk on their smartphone loudly and then stare at you when you stop and look at them?

What are they thinking when they drive with their head down because they are paying attention to their mobile phone and texting? (they need to be stopped!)

What the heck are they thinking when they stand in the middle of the public shopping mall and sneeze across the masses of people around them?

Sure in the end it is the small stuff. And like the saying goes “don’t sweat it”. Being preoccupied with life’s irritations will get you stuck in the muck and mire of frustration. Okay you could stop and say something to the people who are irritating you and they would likely wonder who they heck YOU think you are… We may not be able to influence a random stranger on the street. If the chance were there perhaps it could?

So the center of focus is to look for positive opportunities, and the time is now. Let the Spiritual focus fill in those blanks. Understand that you should enjoy the moment and know that it is YOURS to own. You can do with your moment what you will. When so much of humankind around the world are just wondering where their next bite of food or fresh water or shelter will come from, how can we let these things be our focus?

Stay positive. Stay focused on the tracks you are making right now. They are yours.

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Acceptance, Critical Thinking, Doubt, Faith, Reality Check, Skeptical Inquiry, Slow Down, spiritual focus, Thought

14 Aug 2012

3 Comments

Finding a Purpose and the Lack of Self-Esteem

There seems to be a great lack of self-esteem these days. Sitting around with some good wine and great friends, we all agreed that these days seem like more people are challenged with a lack of purpose. Maybe spurred on by a lack of self-esteem. I read a statistic (for what it is worth on the Internet) that an estimated that 50% of the working population in the US are in the wrong jobs. But because of the lack of confidence and self-esteem that stay where they are.

In a previous post I had talked about becoming a victim and the levels of accountability. It is easy to find ways to blame others for our plight, instead of lack of confidence in ourselves. It can lead to spending a lot of time and energy building the reasons for blaming others. It can mean time wasted that could be used instead to finding time to build the confidence in the fact that we are THE unique person in the plan. After all it begins with self-esteem and celebrating our unique-ness (is that a word?).

Perhaps some of our esteem is missing because we are missing the spiritual center of our lives? Could it be that somewhere along the way we have under valued our special place in the universe, the individuality that makes us fit in the day-to-day interaction with our friends, co-workers, family, lovers?

Is being unique a bad thing? Today it seems like many want to believe it is – and when someone calls out their individuality they are persecuted for being prejudiced or “politically incorrect”. In the end we are all part of the human race, but we need to be ourselves (as they say, “everyone else is taken”).

We need a purpose, and God can be that purpose. With no purpose… on purpose, we end up looking for it in all the wrong places, and then end up alone wondering why it the things seem so unreachable. So distant. Lost for the vision of the future in our lives and after that.

So in my efforts. I also have to remember that I need to be constantly teaching my children those same things, and live it as I speak it. Or they will just go on with the risk of choosing the same cycle. Being part of the pattern of lack of esteem.

From pjgracecommunity: I need to discover my purpose!

Posted in Doing Things That Will Change Your Life and tagged Acceptance, choices, Definitions, Grace, Opinion, Philosophy, Postive Thinking, Self-Awareness, Self-esteem, tracks in the dust

12 Aug 2012

Maybe I’m Amazed

Maybe I’m Amazed.

Maybe I’m amazed by the way we can make “something” out of “nothing”. And sometimes we like it and sometimes we hate it.

Maybe I’m amazed how there are always two stories to everything, and then there is the real story. Looking through our own eyes, we see them through our own lens and it has so many colors.

Maybe I’m amazed that after 30+ years of marriage I am still in love with the same person. Love is not negotiable, it has ups and downs but it can be always and forever.

Maybe I’m amazed that more people don’t know about how find the beginning of something new, and stay stuck in one direction wondering when things will change.

Maybe I’m amazed that we only have a certain amount of time here on Earth, but we treat it so poorly- letting days go by without appreciating our time and using it to do what God has expected us to do. The rewards are endless.

Maybe I’m amazed that there are so many beautiful, wonderful people in this world, yet so many people are attracted to the negative things around them.

We all have a path. For us so fortunate to be able to make choices, we can. Yes we have the ability to change. We can choose at any moment to make things better.

So with so many in the world that cannot choose, we need to take that power and choose for the better. Help show others the way.

Posted in Life's Sound Track (Music) and tagged Acceptance, Amazed, cherish, choices, life is precious, Marriage, Memories, Postive Thinking, something out of nothing, ups and downs

02 Aug 2012

1 Comment

Starting Is Essential to Winning

As I watch the Olympics this week, and see how many young athletes are working so hard to win, I cannot think about how hard they worked in the process of preparing to win. They had a goal, and they were focused on working for it.

All around me I see people who seem to be waiting. They are wishing to win, waiting for it to arrive . LIke it is luck that is going to knock at their door and come in and say “hi, I am here”…. like it will arrive at your doorstep like a guest long over due.

But that is not how most of the successful people have gotten where they are. Yes they are expecting to win…but through their lives they have been investing in the success. They aren’t shy. They have been willing to compete. Which means they have been equally willing to lose and personally own the loss. They do not blame others for the position they are in, they accept the consequences and make course adjustments to assure that the next time makes a difference.

I have had friends that are always expecting to win… but some of then act like they are looking for divine justice, like there is someone waiting there who is going to hand it to them because ultimately they think they deserve it.

In the end, the true winners seem to know how to be celebrating the win. They are not wallowing in it. They are soaking-in the win and moving on to more, they are not staying in place and seeking constant approval and adoration. They are finding the next step on the path to winning.

Sure, winning isn’t everything – but it isn’t a bad place to be. Feels good.

You have to admire the people who make it all the way to the Olympics. For the most part, who ever makes it deserves it, They worked hard and stayed focused, they earned it. How hard was it to earn the privilege to compete in the Olympics. In some way they have fought to be there. Much like in professional sports, so very few make it to the pinnacle of the sport to be called out to represent the excellence that the sport of choice represents.

So for most of us, individually we win in life when we reach a goal and find ourselves in a position to win. We look for confirmation, and we acknowledge that we are made with the desire to win and succeed. Some times it is our own personal success, and others may not even know we made it so.

In the end you can’t win if you don’t play. I always used to say, “if you want to win the lottery you have to play, if you want to win the race you have to line up for the start.”

How many of us end up wishing we could win, wishing we could succeed in something but really don’t choose to even start to play? Dont wait. Start now. The race is long and success is in your grasp. You have to start to begin.