Monday, June 4, 2012

I live my life by the following guidelines: dare to accept, never settle and always strive to be more. 

By accepting, I don’t mean that we need to fall victim to those things that happen to us, subscribing to the negative influence they might have on our lives.  Instead, I endeavor to feel all of a situation and accept it for what it is rather than collapsing myself into the sometimes-downward spiral certain circumstances can have on me.  Does this mean I’m unaffected by the negative influence of some stressful situations?  No.  Just that I don’t wallow in them.  Accepting a situation for what it is—at face value, letting go its negative influences and holding onto the more positive ones allows me strength to move forward.

I’m not an individual who settles.  As far as I’m concerned, to do so means to acquiesce to defeat.  I’m not one who loses without putting in a ton of effort to come out on top.  Does this mean I always “win?”  No.  Does that bother me?  Not really, for I know that I put in my best effort.  And, just as the races I compete in, there are times when someone who’s a little quicker than me will outdo me.  That’s okay, for along my journey to never settle, I learn valuable life lessons that will better serve me in the future.

Striving to be more is as second nature to me as breathing.  It’s something I do without conscious thought.  Yes, there is often effort involved, but that effort isn’t too taxing.  Instead, it feels like the most satisfying cat stretch, as I flex each and every muscle in an effort to rise above all aspects of what I am. 

I recognize that these guidelines aren’t for everyone.  In fact, the more I verbalize them, the more I become aware of just how unusual they are.  Yet to me, they’re all I know.  What I’ve structured my life around.  The principles that have helped me rise, Phoenix-like, from the ashes of trying circumstances.