Let's Talk About Words

             William Butler Yeats said that, "We are happy when we are growing ." When my daughters were little, we had a growth chart on the kitchen door. They were constantly asking me, "Did I grow?", and I would stop everything to measure them. If they grew, we would mark off their new height and the date, and they would be so excited. If they did not grow, I would give them suggestions of how they could help themselves grow taller like, "Drink more milk, get more sleep, play outside more." Do we stop growing once we reach adulthood? How can we measure our personal development and growth ? We can't lean against the door to measure it, but hopefully we continue to grow our whole lives. If I had a chart that measured my growth, I would probably see large spikes where I went through the most difficult times of my life like my divorce and my father's death.  When my life is going great, I am less likely to grow and change.  Unfortuna...

      Zig Ziglar said, "winning is not everything, but the effort is." How true that is. I remember how great I felt when I was training for a marathon a few years ago. I was in good shape; I felt disciplined getting up in the morning to train, and my daughters were proud of me. I even blogged about my training for the marathon, and I felt a sense of pride every time I ran a little bit farther than the last time. I ran slow and even got injured and had to stop at mile 18 of the marathon, but it still felt like quite an accomplishment. Even though I wish that I had run all 26.2 miles and finished, the effort of training was well worth it. It is something I will never regret trying. I know that if I had not trained and tried, I would have looked back with regret. What do you want to try in life that you would regret not going after? Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

          I have always been disappointed in myself for mistakes that I have made, although I have also tried to learn from them. I am a very introspective person and constantly devour articles and books that I believe will help in the evolution of my soul, but I am still saddened by some of the choices that I have made and mistakes of the past. If I could just remember what I learned instead of dwelling on the error of my ways, maybe I truly could master it and move on. To tie in a previous post, this can be something new that I will do this month. I forgive my mistakes, since they lead me to today.

         Although we can't change the things that we did in the past, we have the power to change the future. Too many people get stuck on the past, feeling like they are defined by it especially when people are young. As I near the age of 50, I have come to understand that one true fact about life is that everything changes. People change, styles change, friends change and even beliefs, hopes and wishes do. When I was younger, it was hard to imagine the future that I am living now. I have done things in my life and hurt people I love, but I know that I can learn from these things and make better choices and decisions. Hopefully, the people that I love will forgive me and know that we can all be different in the future.

        When I set a goal or when my to do list gets too large, there are always excuses to make. I am too busy; I don't feel well; I am overwhelmed. Thomas Jefferson's quote states that with the right attitude, you can achieve your goals, but nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong attitude. Some days I wonder if I will achieve this goal of writing in my blog every day, but after reading this I know that I will achieve this goal. I will have a positive attitude, and I will deal with any challenges that come my way.

            The dictionary defines good as that which is morally right; righteous. Is that your definition of good? I strive to be an honest person, a kind person, a loving person, but is that a description of a "good" person? We see goodness in ourselves and in others, but is the label of goodness a judgment or a quality? I choose to be the qualities of  honest, loving, kind and fair but who decides what is good? Is a person good if they volunteer and help others, yet in their heart they dislike the ones they are helping? Or talk negatively about others? It is important to show goodness to the world, but have goodness in your heart as well.

        Eric Hoffer said, "To become different from what we are, we must have some awareness of what we are." I agree that in order to grow, change and become a more evolved person, we should look at our behaviors closely. Others will look at a person and say that they are stubborn or lazy or any other description, but that person can't see that about themselves. It is difficult to look hard and accept the truth about our own faults, but that is truly the only way to change. I have always been a reactor. I am not confrontational so when others treat me bad or say mean things, I hold it in for too long and then explode. Numerous self help books claim that you can not control what others do; you can only control how you respond. I want that to be true about myself. I no longer want to just "react" to the people and circumstances of my life.  I want to change. Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com