Tag: #SpeakYourTruth

Speak Your Truth: Chasing the Magic Bullet

August 4th, 2019

Sometimes we can’t help but hold on tight to a certain dream or idea. We cling desperately because we want change. We want more. We want out of a certain situation, but we just don’t know how to make that happen, but we dream. We make plans. A part of us believes it will never happen, but we still hope that there’s a magic bullet out there that will transform our lives into something better and grander than what we have.

Deep down we really cling to the hope that some magic bullet will appear and cut through all the crap, all the ridiculousness our lives have become and instantly make things better for us. That magic will make all the bad parts disappear or become irrelevant because our day has come, we have zipped past the problems and been catapulted into a dream come true.

We make excuses, because we have gotten so hung up on that particular idea (whatever the idea might be, it differs for everyone) to come save us so we don’t have to save ourselves. There’s not much forward motion. We are too busy waiting for that magic bullet. But one day we get tired of waiting, so we start doing something to help that dream along.

Maybe one day we wake up and it finally hits us that the magic bullet really isn’t coming, and we start to feel the pressure of doing it ourselves. The pressure builds and life just doesn’t seem fair. Others’ seem to get their magic bullet, so where is ours? (more…)
Speak Your Truth: Accepting Things As They Are

July 1st, 2019

How many times do we wish things were different? Or a person wasn’t so loud and obnoxious? How many times have we thought about the different ways we can renovate our home or change the way we look?

Have we even stopped to appreciate a situation for what it is? Maybe there’s a reason that situation is as it is? Maybe it is trying to show us something, to teach us an important lesson?

Maybe that obnoxious person isn’t as annoying as we think? Maybe there are some amazing qualities of that person we didn’t see because we were too busy looking at the obvious?

Does our home really need a new paint job right this minute? Have we even stopped to appreciate the fact that we have a home and a roof over our heads?

Do we really need a new hairstyle, or those new flashy clothes right now? Have we stopped to see ourselves as we are? Do we love ourselves even without that new swanky outfit?

We may not like something or someone, but it’s really not necessary for us to like everything in any give moment. But not liking can lead to stress if we allow it. That’s why we seek to change things. We think that if we can make it better and to our liking, then the stress will disappear. But what about the stress of trying to change something, especially if it’s something beyond us and our immediate ability to change? What about that stress?

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Speak Your Truth: How to Make a Difference in Small Ways

June 19th, 2019

There is often a misconception that in order to create positive change it must be in big and flashy ways. This is, of course, great and wonderful, but maybe some of us don’t have the energy, know-how, or realistic aspirations to make a unique and big contribution. Or perhaps, there are some who are just overwhelmed with trying to find a way to make a big splash to effect real positive change in the world. But really, some of the best and lasting changes come in much smaller ways.

For every major positive difference that we witness someone else doing to help other people or the world in general, there are hundreds, thousands, probably millions of other people doing something smaller to effect change too. If you add that up, it’s a lot of wonderful change happening all over the world.

We sometimes might be deluded into thinking that what we do or don’t do doesn’t really matter. Does it really matter if we smile to the stranger as we walk past them? Does it really matter if we let that person cut in front of us in line without cussing them out? Yes, it does.

It doesn’t take much. But if we can approach ourselves and each person we meet with a smile and compassion, then we are effecting positive change in the world. And every little bit counts. Because maybe one act of kindness a day may not seem like a lot, but if every single person were to do one thing a day that adds up fast.

What kinds of positivity and kindness can we spread?

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Speak Your Truth: Keeping Calm During Upheavals and Chaos

June 3rd, 2019

Most people like a nice quiet kind of life. And probably most people achieve that to one degree or another. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always stay quiet. Every once in a while, a series of events leads life into upheaval and chaos.

A lot of emotions are usually attached to upheaval and chaos when it occurs. Anger. Panic. Sadness. Despair. Frustration. Maybe some of it is bitter sweet. Maybe we know the end results will make things better for us, but impatience plagues us each and every step.

It is so easy to be swept away by the emotional tidal waves that buffet us as we try to move our way through a chaotic time. Sometimes the emotions and events are so abrupt and intense, we are left numb and in shock.

All of these emotions may be valid and deeply felt, but they don’t help us stay calm in a storm. They don’t help us find our center so we can navigate our troubled waters with clarity.

Acting out of impulse is not always a bad thing, but a constant series of reaction instead of calculated action can have serious consequences. It can even make chaotic times in our lives even more so.

Our best course of action sometimes is to do nothing for a time so we can reflect on our emotions and circumstance, and we can make more informed and (more…)
Speak Your Truth: Surrendering to the Uncertainties in Life

April 24th, 2019

If you are anything like me, letting go is an incredibly hard thing to do. I have always known I have a control issue, which was continuously reinforced with statements like, “You’re such a bossy sister” or “Why do you have to be such a control freak?”. So the idea of surrendering to uncertainty has pretty much terrified me all my life.

Is it a legitimate fear to have? If you let go of control, will things quickly fall into chaos and ultimate destruction? I would have to say no on both counts, because the times that I have managed to let go of control, things worked out just fine.

In fact, things always worked out better than if I had been in control. And yet, time and time again, I am continually faced with the challenge of letting go, surrendering to a Higher Power, and just waiting to see what happens.

There are times when I start to wonder if I am deeply flawed. I start to think this will always be a curse, a challenge I will never overcome. But then I realize it’s that exact kind of thinking that keeps me stuck in a controlling attitude.

Here’s what I know. The harder I hold on to something or an idea, the more conflict appears in my life. The more I just let things be, the more calm things tend to be, and miracles start appearing.

I believe that surrendering to the things we can’t control allows new possibilities we would have never considered to appear in our lives. I think as long as we are clear about what we want, the Universe, God, ect. will help us receive the things we want in the right way instead of us forcing something that might not make us happy at all.

We think we know what we want, but we can’t possibly see or understand the bigger picture. So why try to control it all? It will just make us miserable for trying. Believe me, I know.

For me, I find that surrendering control has to be a daily, sometimes a many times a day thing. It’s a practice. The more we do it, the better we get at it. And yes, there will be times where we think we’re just treading water and not really getting anywhere. (more…)