Can You Really Have It All?

2020-04-042020-04-04 ~ adminlife

Of course, everyone wants to “have it all,” but is that even possible? There are a lot of opinions on the topic. Some people believe it’s entirely possible. Others insist that you can’t even some close.

Like many things in life, the most reasonable answer is, “It depends.” You can certainly have a lot if you’re willing to make enough of a sacrifice.

Consider these aspects:

Decide what having it all means to you. Everyone says they want to “have it all,” but what does that mean to you? Make a list of everything that you would have to have and experience in your life on a regular basis to be 100% satisfied with your life. Take all the time you need. Keep these categories in mind:
- Relationships
- Health and physical goals
- Possessions
- Hobbies
- Career
- Community
Notice the items that are under your control and those that are not. Review your list. Divide your list into two columns: Those things you can control and those you cannot.
- You can’t control your spouse’s level of patience, tolerance, or their waistline.
- You can’t control every aspect of your children.
- You don’t have complete control over your career.
- You’ll quickly find there’s not a lot that you can control in your life beyond your focus, effort, and attitude. Worrying about other things is an exercise in futility.
You can’t have everything. Time, money, and energy are limitations. Consider the items below:
- Committed spouse
- Active community members
- Committed parent
- Excellent friend
- Great employee
- Great boss
- Mentor
- Perfect neighbor
- Big house
- Luxury car
- And the list goes on
- Just reading this list can be enough to start an ulcer. How well could you accomplish all of those things and still enjoy your life?

With your idea of having it all, will you still be relaxed and happy? A simple life leads to higher levels of satisfaction and happiness. The more complicated your life, the less satisfied you’re likely to feel over the long term.
Life is about priorities. You can’t have everything, but you can have a lot. The more you want, the more it’s going to cost you. The more you want, the more complicated your life will become. The more complicated it is, the more scattered your energy and focus become.
- What are your priorities in life?
- Based on those priorities, re-answer the first item on this list.
- The more things you ultimately want in your life, the lower your performance level will have to be in one or more areas.

“Can I have it all?” is an ambiguous question. Can you have it all if having it all means having a spouse, children, a home, a pleasant career, and a circle of friends? Sure. Can you have it all if you want to perform at the highest possible level in multiple categories in your life? Doubtful.

Having it all is limited by your definition of having it all.

There’s only so much time in a day. There’s a limit to how much anyone can do. Look at the most successful people in the world. Some other aspect of their life is usually a complete mess. It’s almost a universal truth. Excelling at one area requires making a sacrifice in others. It’s up to you to determine how much you’re willing to sacrifice.

So, you can have it all, provided that what you want is reasonable, and you’re committed.

Appreciating Small Things and the Law of Attraction

2018-12-232018-12-22 ~ adminlife

Appreciation is clearly a positive action. When you appreciate something or someone, you are sending positive energy into the universe. That can only benefit you with positive energy coming back to you. That is a foundation of the Law of Attraction (LOA).

Perhaps you aren’t a believer in such principles as LOA. You think it’s hokum, and that the universe doesn’t have a points system of sorts. However, it’s been shown time and again that when people put out positive energy, they receive that in kind. The same is true for negative energy.

Even if you aren’t a believer, what can it hurt to project positivity into the world? Your small circle of friends and your family will notice it. That is enough to justify staying positive and appreciate those smaller things in your life.

Negativity surrounds you, and this makes it easy to get swallowed up in it. The news reports seem to show nothing but bad news on every channel. It’s gotten worse with the proliferation of the internet. Someone can post a negative tweet, for instance, and hundreds of people see it. People then share the tweet and so the list of people seeing it grows into thousands.

Because the internet allows people to post comments anonymously, that makes matters worse. They would never say to someone’s face the negative stuff they write. But, have no trouble spewing garbage on the internet. LOA works on the internet as well. People who post negative messages will find them returned. They cannot hide in their anonymity either. The universe has a way of bringing it back to them.

If you are one to say or post negative messages, think about the impact that has on others. It’s hurtful, and it will affect them. Also, think about how wonderful those people would feel if you posted something nice about them. You shouldn’t make up these attributes. They should be true. But, you should be able to find something nice to say about others. There is an old saying that if you can’t find something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything. People should incorporate this saying and live by it, especially on the internet.

If you believe that the small items don’t make a difference concerning LOA, think about the number of people that are alive on the planet. There are over six billion people. If everyone projected his or her appreciation for one small item, that would be a massive surge of positive energy.

To your success

Michael W

P.S. If you are looking for a confidence program that can help you with your self development. Send me an email at michael@youaresuccesslifecoach.com to request a copy of my “Maximum Confidence Transformation Package”. Afterwards we can arrange a discovery telephone call to discuss the package and how you can benefit further from developing your confidence level.

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/glass-cognac-smoke-full-empty-300558/

Using Social Media to Be Appreciative

2018-12-132018-12-10 ~ adminlife

Social media has invaded everyone’s lives. People are willing to share many aspects of their lives on social media, from cute pictures of their cats, to what they had for breakfast. While not everyone appreciates these constant updates, when used correctly, social media can be a great way to show the world all the small things that you appreciate.

If you have never used Pinterest before, start setting up boards about your favourite items. It could be songs of your favourite bands. If you have great recipes that you have tried in your past, create a board for that. You can even set up some of your boards as group boards. You then invite others to post on your boards. The advantage of this is you can find ideas of what others enjoy. You can control who is allowed to join to prevent spammers from infiltrating your boards.

If you insist on posting every meal on social media, consider using Twitter to do this. It’s a more forgiving platform as the messages pass through quickly and only contain a small number of characters. Your friends on Facebook are probably not as receptive. Now you know.

While it’s great to show your appreciation for the small things using social media, make sure you have the rights to post what you post. People and companies take copyright infringement seriously and posting any picture on a whim can get you into serious trouble. The fines can be hefty, and there have been instances of criminal actions taken against perpetrators. If you search on Google for images and you don’t know whether it’s okay to use them, likely it’s not. Don’t take this issue lightly.

You also want to make sure you have permission to post pictures of people. If they are people you know, you can simply ask them with a verbal confirmation. If you wish to post people you don’t know, make sure you get a signed release that it’s okay to use their image. Never use people’s images in a negative light. You wouldn’t want them doing that to you so they won’t appreciate it either.

Be respectful of what you post on social media. Some media channels may allow you to post inappropriate material, such as nude pictures, etc. However, just because the particular channel allows it doesn’t mean you should engage in the practice. If it’s not something you are willing to show to your mother than that is probably a good indication it should not go onto social media.

To your success

Michael W

Feature photo used under CCO and available at https://pixabay.com/en/mobile-phone-smartphone-keyboard-1917737/

Expressing Gratitude Without Envy

2016-06-182016-06-17 ~ adminlife

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Expressing Your Gratitude

Gratitude is often a difficult concept to understand and put into practice. Remember how your parents used to tell you not to waste food because there were starving kids in the world? That was an elementary attempt at teaching gratitude because the goal was to make you think about how fortunate you were to have food on your plate.

Once children get older and start to understand the concept of gratitude, they’re usually bombarded with commercials and marketing ploys for all the latest, coolest gadgets. The problem is that all this hype and marketing undermines parents’ desire to teach their children to be happy with what they already have. And jealousy is especially difficult to battle when children have friends who get whatever they desire.

But if love and gratitude is only expressed through worldly things, there is no depth or deeper meaning since things break down, get old, and stop working at some point.

What Is Gratitude?

If you look in the dictionary you’ll find the definition of gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness; basically, being happy with what you have in life. Sit and think about all that you have – your home, family, health, food, car, and faith – and then consider those people who don’t have any of those things. It’s very humbling to realize that there are so many joys we take for granted in our life!

Every Thanksgiving families sit around the dinner table and share what they’re thankful for but this practice shouldn’t be reserved for just one time a year. Giving regular thanks will help everyone in your family appreciate each other and all they have.

* Share your gratitude with your family every night during a family dinner. Say thanks to the cook, thanks to the cleaner, and thanks for everyone gathered around the table.

* Encourage older kids to really think about the little things that happened during the day to find their gratitude.

* Enjoy the quiet time together and use the sharing opportunity to open discussions about ways your family can work together as a loving team.

Showing Gratitude Without Envy

Both children and adults are guilty of being envious of other people’s possessions or success at one time or another. It’s human nature, especially since we see what others have and desire it for ourselves. If you’re ready to eliminate that jealousy and show genuine gratitude, here are a few reminders for you:

1. Gratitude can be expressed by doing big and small things. You don’t have to make a huge monetary contribution to express your appreciation. Simple things, such as writing a thank you note, are just as effective in showing your gratitude for life.

2. Gratitude must be practiced regularly, even during difficult times. By doing something small but meaningful each day to show your gratitude, you’re forming an important habit which will last for your lifetime.

3. Gratitude is not all about money. Making charitable contributions is wonderful but if you don’t have the money to do that, volunteer your time at a soup kitchen, animal shelter, or other charity that touches your heart. Your time is just as valuable as money!

Teaching Kids a Life Lesson

Young children generally have a difficult time thinking of the big world around them. Their worlds are often centered on themselves, their family, school, and activities. They barely have a concept of another town or state, never mind starving kids in a foreign country.

By engaging in activities as a family, you can show your children the struggles other people face and how their own problems or desires fit into the big picture. Seeing the children who don’t normally get Christmas gifts will help them appreciate their own possessions more. Listening to the stories of the people at the soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day will help them learn compassion for others.

It may not be an instantaneous change, but eventually your kids will be more concerned about people, instead of things. Things can be replaced, but people are priceless. After all, without the sacrifices of our parents and the gift of positive relationships, there would be no one to share our things with!

Keep Dreaming Big

Gratitude plays an important role in your own personal growth journey but expressing your gratitude doesn’t mean you have to give up on your dreams. If you want to reach a certain career level, go for it. Want a bigger house, save up. If your child wants the newest electronic toy, let him start learning the value of money. In doing so, you will begin to appreciate your life journey a whole lot more.

Gratitude helps you see the true joys in everything – big or small. Just remember that every gift in your life should be a pleasant surprise rather than a desperate or jealous desire.

To your success

Michael W