The Butterfly Project© 2009
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
The biggest struggles you face in life you will always face alone.
The circumstances of your life right now are a series of decisions you made and when it comes right down to it, the only one who can change them is you. Blaming others works for awhile. Blaming circumstances or timing. Sometimes blaming God. But most of all you blame yourself, and the guilt you carry is like a brick tied to your neck, that eventually pulls you down.
There are times when you can carry your load on autopilot, with hardly a thought to the precarious balance you have so carefully arranged. Days go by, sometimes weeks or even months and you think to yourself, I can do this. But somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you are heading for a fall.
One day a phone call comes that brings bad news or a problem you've been ignoring suddenly demands your attention. In a split second the scales are tipped and everything you so carefully arranged comes crashing down. The mess is overwhelming and you frantically search for the escape hatch, only there is none.
It's called the “moonlight mile.” It's a dark and lonely place. Everyone has walked it at some point in their life and everyone remembers what it feels like. The marriage that is failing. The bill collector calls. The bad report from the doctor. The child who pushes your buttons. A job you hate or the unemployment line. The humiliation of a “morning after.” The death of one you love. Every failure in your life will taunt you and try to convince you this is the end. “You'll never make it,” they sneer. “It's always going to be this way” or “You should have known better” and you watch in panic and horror as your life comes crashing down.
Many never recover. They dive into addiction and self destructive behavior to escape, only to find an even bigger mess on their hands. Some become self righteous martyrs in a desperate attempt to escape accountability. You've met them. “Nothing ever goes right for me. I never win.” “This is just how I am.” “At least I'm not like _________.” “If you don't expect anything good you won't be disappointed.” “If only…”
What does that condemning voice say to you?
No matter what circumstances you may be facing, there are three keys to making it a successful journey.
Key One
Discouragement is your #1 enemy. Discouragement and disappointment will sap your energy and convince you that you'll never make it. They are useless and debilitating emotions that become a brick around your neck. Things didn't turn out the way you planned? Take a line from Forest Gump when he stepped in dog doo - “It happens.” (grin). “It” happens to all of us. Keep going. Didn't get that promotion? Keep going. Keep a good attitude. There's something better up ahead. Made some bad choices? Start over. Take from your experience only what is useful to you in the future, and throw the rest away.
Refuse to give up. Discouragement and disappointment lead to complacency and complacency is accepting defeat. NEVER let your circumstances defeat you. Defeat your circumstances.
Key Two
Expect more. It's oh, so easy to let disappointment cloud your enthusiasm about the future. When faced with setbacks we tend to take a skeptical view that anything good is ahead of us, but the expectance of good actually draws good into our lives - so stay positive. If you've lost your enthusiasm, get it back. Read encouraging books, post encouraging notes around your house, listen to encouraging music, talk to people who encourage you and push you to keep going. Set your sights higher and refuse to settle for less.
Key Three
Live to give. The laws of the universe tell us that the more we give the more we get back and “living to give” is essential to a successful journey.
Remember: Stingy people lead tiny lives. To Live Big, Give Big.
When things don't turn out the way we had hoped, the first thing we tend to do is focus on ourselves. Big mistake. We mire in self pity and become absorbed in our grief. The needs of those around us become insignificant compared to the needs of our own lives. Our motto becomes “What about me?”
No matter where you are in life or what has happened to you, there is someone out there who needs you. When you find you are discouraged, the fastest way to get encouraged is to help someone else. Look for ways to be good to people and they will find ways to be good to you. This is probably one of the hardest principles to follow through with, but mastering this key, like mastering your emotions, will take you further than you ever went before.
Today, take with you the knowledge that God is with you and God is love. He stands ready to help you every step of the way. Do what you can and God will do what you can't. That's a promise.
The circumstances of your life right now are a series of decisions you made and when it comes right down to it, the only one who can change them is you. Blaming others works for awhile. Blaming circumstances or timing. Sometimes blaming God. But most of all you blame yourself, and the guilt you carry is like a brick tied to your neck, that eventually pulls you down.
There are times when you can carry your load on autopilot, with hardly a thought to the precarious balance you have so carefully arranged. Days go by, sometimes weeks or even months and you think to yourself, I can do this. But somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you are heading for a fall.
One day a phone call comes that brings bad news or a problem you've been ignoring suddenly demands your attention. In a split second the scales are tipped and everything you so carefully arranged comes crashing down. The mess is overwhelming and you frantically search for the escape hatch, only there is none.
It's called the “moonlight mile.” It's a dark and lonely place. Everyone has walked it at some point in their life and everyone remembers what it feels like. The marriage that is failing. The bill collector calls. The bad report from the doctor. The child who pushes your buttons. A job you hate or the unemployment line. The humiliation of a “morning after.” The death of one you love. Every failure in your life will taunt you and try to convince you this is the end. “You'll never make it,” they sneer. “It's always going to be this way” or “You should have known better” and you watch in panic and horror as your life comes crashing down.
Many never recover. They dive into addiction and self destructive behavior to escape, only to find an even bigger mess on their hands. Some become self righteous martyrs in a desperate attempt to escape accountability. You've met them. “Nothing ever goes right for me. I never win.” “This is just how I am.” “At least I'm not like _________.” “If you don't expect anything good you won't be disappointed.” “If only…”
What does that condemning voice say to you?
No matter what circumstances you may be facing, there are three keys to making it a successful journey.
Key One
Discouragement is your #1 enemy. Discouragement and disappointment will sap your energy and convince you that you'll never make it. They are useless and debilitating emotions that become a brick around your neck. Things didn't turn out the way you planned? Take a line from Forest Gump when he stepped in dog doo - “It happens.” (grin). “It” happens to all of us. Keep going. Didn't get that promotion? Keep going. Keep a good attitude. There's something better up ahead. Made some bad choices? Start over. Take from your experience only what is useful to you in the future, and throw the rest away.
Refuse to give up. Discouragement and disappointment lead to complacency and complacency is accepting defeat. NEVER let your circumstances defeat you. Defeat your circumstances.
Key Two
Expect more. It's oh, so easy to let disappointment cloud your enthusiasm about the future. When faced with setbacks we tend to take a skeptical view that anything good is ahead of us, but the expectance of good actually draws good into our lives - so stay positive. If you've lost your enthusiasm, get it back. Read encouraging books, post encouraging notes around your house, listen to encouraging music, talk to people who encourage you and push you to keep going. Set your sights higher and refuse to settle for less.
Key Three
Live to give. The laws of the universe tell us that the more we give the more we get back and “living to give” is essential to a successful journey.
Remember: Stingy people lead tiny lives. To Live Big, Give Big.
When things don't turn out the way we had hoped, the first thing we tend to do is focus on ourselves. Big mistake. We mire in self pity and become absorbed in our grief. The needs of those around us become insignificant compared to the needs of our own lives. Our motto becomes “What about me?”
No matter where you are in life or what has happened to you, there is someone out there who needs you. When you find you are discouraged, the fastest way to get encouraged is to help someone else. Look for ways to be good to people and they will find ways to be good to you. This is probably one of the hardest principles to follow through with, but mastering this key, like mastering your emotions, will take you further than you ever went before.
Today, take with you the knowledge that God is with you and God is love. He stands ready to help you every step of the way. Do what you can and God will do what you can't. That's a promise.
The Butterfly Project© 2009
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.