Seven things

We may not always love everything about our lives, but deep down we do love and appreciate the magic of life itself. Some part of us believes that everything and anything is possible.

Sadly, though, we don’t always believe these possibilities are within our reach. But the reality is they are – we all live lives of endless possibility. The problem is we choose to believe otherwise. We choose to believe we are incapable of living our lives the way we want to live them, at our full potential. We choose to accept our reality as others have told us it has to be.

Wake up! We don’t have to do this to ourselves – none of us do. We have a choice. We don’t have to be complacent. We don’t have to fall into line. Why not stir things up a bit and live by better rules?

It’s time to remind yourself of a few key truths – right now and every morning hereafter:

1. Today can be a good day, but only if you make it so. – Why do we often feel so powerless? Because we convince ourselves that we are. We wait for things to be given to us – entitlements. In life, there are no true entitlements, and the reality is that if you want something then you need to make it happen for yourself. You need to work for it. Whether or not today is a good day doesn’t depend on the weather. It doesn’t depend on your “mood” (that’s also in your control). It doesn’t depend on anyone else. If you want to have a pleasant and wonderful day then choose to have one. It’s all about your perception and what you allow yourself to believe.

2. Greatness is a lifestyle, not a result. – We all want to “achieve” greatness…. but we need to remember that greatness in not a specific achievement. Greatness is not crossing over the finishing line. It’s the ability to fight the good fight day in and day out. Greatness is strength – the strength to keep pushing and to keep living your life the way you want to live it. Greatness isn’t an end result. It’s a state of being. You don’t win great. You are great every day.

3. Your life is yours to design. – There are plenty of things in life that are out of our control, but don’t let this fool you into believing that your life as a whole is out of your control. The reality is, the life you are living is almost entirely by your own design. You have made choices along the way that led you down the road you’re currently traveling. Saying that your life is out of your control is a copout – it’s what other people want you to believe so that they have an easier time getting you to do what they want you to do.

4. The fact that you haven’t given up is success in itself. – It may give you little comfort to think about how you’re still waist deep in the struggle, but the truth is that you are one of the strong people with the guts to keep at it. Most people give up before they even begin… but not you. No, you wake up every day and get things done. You crawl inch by inch against the current because you refuse to give up. You refuse to accept failure. You refuse to listen to others when they tell you that you’re not good enough. You’re still in it.

5. Bullies and energy vampires are not worth worrying about. – The fact is that most people just aren’t that important in our lives. Nevertheless, we sometimes forget this, allowing the wrong people to take up too much space in our daily lives. We meet energy vampires and bullies regularly – especially when you live in a highly populated area or work in a large company. These individuals will try to get to you, will try to influence you and become a part of your life because they find their own life to be mundane. They already poisoned their own lives and now they are looking to poison yours. Don’t let them get to you.

6. Good things in life end too soon when they aren’t appreciated. – This isn’t to say that appreciating what you have when you have it comes naturally – our minds tend to consider the possibility that the grass on the other side is greener. But we need to mindfully remind ourselves that life isn’t about doing our best to constantly upgrade things. To live a happy, fulfilling life, we have to learn to appreciate what we have and love those that we have. If you fall in love then do your sincere best to nurture your love. Don’t wait for things to end before you start appreciating them.

7. Never expect a tomorrow, but be thankful when tomorrow comes. – Think about how many people die every minute of every day and you’ll begin to realize that waking up in the morning is a blessing. We don’t live in a world of perpetual peace, but one laden with bouts of chaos. On top of this, accidents do happen and people get severely injured and die because of them. Getting another day to breathe, to experience life, and to do something meaningful is the greatest gift one can receive. Make today count!