FIVE PROMISE YOU SHOULD MAKE TO YOURSELF AND KEEP FOREVER

Life is not all rainbows and butterflies.  It can be tough sometimes.  And you've paid a heavy price to get this far, so the best option is to really make it count by moving forward from where you are.  Free yourself from the world's negativity – from the sources of ignorance telling you what you can and cannot do – by promising to look ahead, to live ahead, and to get ahead.  In other words, start making positive promises to yourself!
Promise to fight back, to fight harder, to laugh louder and longer and slap adversity back into its seat whenever it dares to stand against you.  Promise to be a force to be reckoned with – because you are a force to be reckoned with.
Make these promises to yourself, and keep them forever. Repeat after me: "I promise..."

1.  "I will not hold the past against myself." – Your problems, your weaknesses, setbacks, regrets and mistakes teach you if you're willing to learn, or they will punish you if you're not.   So let them teach you, every day.  Take everything as a lesson learned.  If you regret some of the decisions you have made in the past, stop being so hard on yourself.  At that time, you did your best with the knowledge you had.  At that time, you did your best with the experience you had.  Your decisions were made with a younger mind.  If you were to make these decisions with the wisdom you have today, you would choose differently.  So give yourself a break.  Time and experience has a wonderful way of helping us grow and learn to make better choices today, for ourselves and those we care for. 
2.  "I will live a life that feels right to me, not one that looks right to everyone else." – Give yourself permission to follow the path that makes YOU happy.  And realize that some people in your life will refuse to walk beside you as you embark on this journey; they simply won’t approve no matter what you say, and that’s OK.  Sometimes when you commit yourself to creating your own happiness, it clashes with the perceptions of others.  Sometimes when you gain something great, you have to let go of something else.  And sometimes this ‘something else’ is a relationship that only wants you to do what they want you to do.
3.  "I will let go of relationships that are obviously not meant to be." – Most people come into your life temporarily simply to teach you something.  They come and they go and they make a difference.  And it’s OK that they’re not in your life anymore.  Not all relationships last, but the lessons these relationships bring to you do.  If you learn to open your heart and mind, anyone, including the folks who eventually drive you mad, can teach you something worthwhile.  Sometimes it will feel weird when you realize you spent so much time with someone you are no longer connected to, but that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.  You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.  We all are. 
4.  "I will not let any situation permanently steal my smile." – Even when times are tough, take a moment to pause and remember who YOU are.  Take a moment to reflect on the things that have real and lasting meaning in your life.  And then smile about how far you’ve come.  Honestly, nothing in this world is more beautiful and powerful than a smile that has struggled through the tears.  Any fool can be happy when times are easy.  It takes a strong soul with real heart to develop smiles out of situations that make us weep.  No matter how long it takes, it will get better.  Keep going.  Tough situations build strong people in the end.
5.  "I will keep stretching myself beyond my previous level of comfort." – Just because you’re struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing.  Every great success requires some type of worthy struggle to get there.  Know this!  When you’re struggling, that’s when you’re growing stronger and smarter.  The more time you spend there, the faster you learn.  It’s better to spend an extremely high quality ten minutes growing, than it is to spend a mediocre hour running in place.  Every day, you want to practice at the point where you are on the edge of your ability, stretching yourself just a little more than before, making mistakes, stumbling, learning from those mistakes and stretching yourself even farther

LITTLE THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN LIFE NO LONGER EXCITES YOU

Once upon a time, there was a girl who could do anything in the world she wanted.  All she had to do was choose something and focus.  So one day she sat down in front of a blank canvas and began to paint.  Every stroke was more perfect than the next, slowly and gracefully converging to build a flawless masterpiece.  And when she eventually finished painting, she stared proudly at her work and smiled.

It was obvious to the clouds and the stars, who were always watching over her, that she had a gift.  She was an artist.  And she knew it too.  She felt it in every fiber of her being.  But a few moments after she finished painting, she got anxious and quickly stood up.  Because she realized that while she had the ability to do anything in the world she wanted to do, she was simply spending her time moving paint around on a piece of canvas.

She felt like there was so much more in the world to see and do – so many options.  And if she ultimately decided to do something else with her life, then all the time she spent painting would be a waste.  So she glanced at her masterpiece one last time, and walked out the door into the moonlight.  And as she walked, she thought, and then she walked some more.

While she was walking, she didn’t notice the clouds and the stars in the sky who were trying to signal her, because she was preoccupied with an important decision she had to make.  She had to choose one thing to do out of all the possibilities in the world.  Should she practice medicine?  Or design buildings?  Or teach children?  She was utterly stumped.

Twenty-five years later, the girl began to cry.  Because she realized she had been walking for so long, and that over the years she had become so enamored by everything that she could do – the endless array of possibilities – that she hadn’t done anything meaningful at all.  And she learned, at last, that life isn’t about possibility – anything is possible.  Life is about making a decision – deciding to do something that moves you.

So the girl, who was no longer a girl, purchased some canvas and paint from a local craft store, drove to a nearby park, and began to paint.  One stroke gracefully led into the next just as it had so many moons ago.  And as she smiled, she continued painting through the day and into the night.  Because she had finally made a decision.  And there was still some time left to revel in the magic that life is all about.

But, but (there’s always a “but”)…

There’s more to life than just following your passion, right?

Absolutely.  For instance, not all passions earn an income, at least not in the near-term.  And most of us have families to care for, mouths to feed, and bills to pay.  So yes, there needs to be more than just passion.

But there ALSO needs to be some passion too!

The key is to realize it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

The short story above isn’t about following your passion into a hole of debt, it’s about NOT pushing your passion off into an abyss of unhappiness.

When you discover something that nourishes your soul and brings you joy and excitement – something that truly matters to you – care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life, even if you can only spare a little time on the side.  And if you find that you don’t have any time at all for what matters to you, stop doing things that don’t…like watching another TV program or getting lost stalking people on social media.

Be intentional about how you spend your time.

In the end, purpose is the reason you journey, and passion is the fire that lights your way.  Without passion, it’s impossible to progress in life.  The heart of human excellence begins to beat when you discover a pursuit, big or small, that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, and gives you a sense of meaning.   Some resist this fact and think passion is just fluff.  Well that’s nonsense!  Honestly, the saddest mentally stable people I’ve ever met in life are the ones who don’t have a deep passion about anything at all.  Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there’s nothing meaningful behind it to make it last.

So remember, if there was ever a day to follow your heart and do something small that matters to you, that day is today.

Here are some little things worth remembering:

1. A big part of your life is a result of the choices you make.  And if you don’t like your life – if it completely lacks excitement and passion – it’s time to start making changes and better choices.
2. Life is to be enjoyed, not endured.  You CAN follow a path that moves you.  You are always free to do something small and positive that makes you happy
3. There is good reason why you should wake each morning and mindfully consider what and who you will give your day to.  Because unlike other things in life – money, entertainment, obligations, etc. – time is the one thing you can never get back once it’s gone.
4. It’s not what you say, but how you spend your time.  If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way.  If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.
5. Your passion is an inherent part of you.  Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.  Nothing you have that much passion for is ever a waste of time, no matter how it turns out in the long-term.
6. When you focus your heart and mind upon a meaningful purpose, and commit yourself to fulfill that purpose a little bit every day, positive energy gradually floods into your life.
7. We have to stop telling ourselves that other people are our reason for being unhappy, unfulfilled, etc.  They aren’t in the long run.
8. The more we fill our lives with genuine passion and purpose the less time and energy we’ll waste looking for approval and admiration from everyone else.
9. Your body may eventually grow tired, you may lie awake some nights listening to your past regrets, you may miss your only love, you may see the world around you overcome by negativity, or know your respect has been trampled on by unfriendly faces.  There is only one thing for healing that works every time – to rediscover what excites you and then dive deeper into it.  That’s the only positive effort that a battered mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or doubt, and never dream of regretting
10. Just one small step today.  That’s all.  True purpose has no time limit.  True passion has no deadline.  Don’t stress and overwhelm yourself.  Just do what you can right now – just the next smallest step on a meaningful path.

Afterthoughts… On Being Passionate

Passion is the secret ingredient that has kept me going through some of the most painful times of my life.  Because at some point, especially when the going gets tough, you have to wonder what you’re doing and why.

Over the years, I’ve questioned myself and given myself a thousand little reasons to keep working on CLINTONFAZE.BLOGSPOT.COM, but it always comes back to where it started – it comes down to my core passion to explore life’s challenges, study them, and write about them.

What distinguishes many of us who are actively pursuing a small piece of our dreams from those of us on the couch is that some of us have learned the hard way – perhaps through a severe loss or crisis – that life is short, and that we must capitalize on the priceless opportunities each day gives us, on the raw potential our minds and bodies are capable of, and on every ounce of willpower we can muster to make our journeys worthwhile.

Of course, we can’t do it all and we can’t have it all.  Sometimes we have to say no to good things to be able to say yes to the most important things.  Sometimes we have to take little risks with our time and energy.  But in life, if you don’t risk anything, you risk everything.

So go head and take a little risk today.

Feel some passion.

Discover love.

Run free.

And revel in the magic that life is all about.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR THOURTH WHEN YOU CANT CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE

Let me share a quick story and a powerful lesson with you... “There’s a vivid, beautiful, priceless piece of art hanging right in front of you. It’s sophisticated and detailed – a painstaking labor of deep devotion and love. The colors and textures are like no other – they soar and dip, they shine bright and leap right out at you! And yet you choose to fixate your eyes on the tiny, dark housefly that has landed on the edge this masterpiece. Why would you choose to do such a thing?” She cracked a half smile in my direction and then shifted her gaze down to the ground. “Look,” I said, “the point here is that there’s no possible way to be 100% certain about anything in this world. Life, like good art, is sophisticated, complex and unpredictable. So you’re left with a choice: either appreciate it and look for the beauty in it, or focus on the worst and dwell on it.” But if you expect the worst, you’re never disappointed,” she said under her breath. 

 “Yeah, but who really lives like that?” I replied. “No one – that’s who! People die slowly every day like that, without ever truly living!” That’s the gist of a conversation I had this past weekend with an attendee of our seminar (I’m sharing this with her full permission). She literally started the conversation by telling me that expecting negative things to happen is her way of coping with life’s challenges. If you can relate in any way at all, it’s time to revamp your mindset. And make no misunderstanding about it, when you are feeling down in the dumps, the battle you are going through isn’t fueled by the words or actions of others, and it isn’t fueled by what did or didn’t happen in the past either. It’s fueled entirely by your mind that gives negativity a voice. Believing in negative thoughts and acting on them is the single greatest barrier to living a good life. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the mind is your battleground. It’s the place where the fiercest and most ruthless conflict resides. It’s where half of the things you feared were going to happen, never actually happened. It’s where your expectations always get the best of you. It’s where you fall victim to your own train of thought time and time again. And if you allow these self-defeating thoughts to dwell in your mind, they will succeed in robbing you of peace, joy, productivity, meaning, and ultimately your life. You will think yourself into endless disappointment, heartache, and even depression. Bottom line: You are what you think! And you can’t change anything if you can’t change your thinking. But are you ready for the silver lining? YOU CAN change the way you think. And if you can change the way you think, you can master a new way to be.

WITH ALL THESE AROUND YOU, MAKES YOU A MAN

We all struggle. We all suffer on the inside. Every day… We worry. We procrastinate. We feel overwhelmed. We feel angry. We feel lonely. We don’t feel good enough. We wish we were thinner We wish we had more money. We wish our jobs were different. We wish our relationships were different. We think everything in life should be easier. And yet, every one of these struggles is self-created. They are real, but they are only real because we have created them in our minds. We have attached ourselves to certain ideals and fantasies about how life has to be in order to be good enough for us. We worry because things might not turn out how we expect. We procrastinate because we fear discomfort and failure. We feel overwhelmed because we think we should be further along than we are. We feel angry because life should not be this way. And so it goes. But it’s all in our heads. And it doesn’t have to be this way. At least not for YOU.

HOLDING ON CAN BE PAINFUL SOMETIMES

Holding on can be painful. Holding on can directly contribute to stress, health complications, unhappiness, depressive thoughts, relationship problems, and so on. Yet, as human beings, we cling desperately to almost everything. We don’t like change, so we resist it. We want life to be the way we think it “should” be. We get attached to our fantasies…. even when they hurt us So how can we stop holding on? By realizing that there’s nothing to hold on to in the first place. Most of the things we desperately try to hold on to, as if they’re real, solid, everlasting fixtures in our lives, aren’t really there. Or if they are there in some form, they’re changing, fluid, impermanent, or simply imagined in our minds. Life gets a lot easier to deal with when we understand this. Imagine you’re blindfolded and treading water in the center of a large swimming pool, and you’re struggling desperately to grab the edge of the pool that you think is nearby, but really it’s not – it’s far away. Trying to grab that imaginary edge is stressing you out, and tiring you out, as you splash around aimlessly trying to holding on to something that isn’t there. Now imagine you pause, take a deep breath, and realize that there’s nothing nearby to hold on to. Just water around you. You can continue to struggle with grabbing at something that doesn’t exist… or you can accept that there’s only water around you, and relax, and float. Today, I challenge you to ask yourself: What are you desperately trying to hold on to in your life? How is it affecting you? Then imagine the thing you’re trying to hold on to doesn’t really exist. Envision yourself letting go... and just floating. How would that change your situation? Mull that question over carefully, and then remind yourself of why it’s time to let GO... When you let go, you allow yourself to make the best of what you’ve got. 🌷🌼🌸💐🌱☘🍀🎄🌲🌳