It Never Stops

"It never stops," a young woman said to me after listing a litany of situations that were happening in her life and her family's. As we parted to go our own directions, I wished it were possible to download some of my inner lessons to her consciousness so she wouldn't exist in continuous upset. I'm glad I can feel that level of compassion, but also realize that's not the way things happen or should. Each of us has to determine and develop our own inner guidance system that helps us maneuver our way through challenges. She and I have discussed the Law of Attraction; but until mantras like "It never stops" no longer serve her, her life is going to feel like a constant struggle.

It made me wonder if there was one statement that could encapsulate my thoughts about this. I found something by James Allen who wrote "As A Man Thinketh," that was close: "No situation can be difficult of itself; it is the lack of insight into its intricacies, and the want of wisdom in dealing with it, which give rise to the difficulty."

When we face challenges or difficulties, we tend to believe it's the situation, itself, where the greatest dynamic lies, but it's really how we relate to it. My father offered wisdom once when he told me it isn't about how we solve situations in life that's most important, because there will be some we aren't able to solve, they resolve themselves. He said it's how we manage ourselves in the midst of them that's key.

One of our greatest gifts as humans is our ability to have emotions and feelings. We need to honor them because they offer so much to us as forms of inner communication that can lead us to learn more about ourselves and strengthen the foundation of who we are as individuals. What we need to remember is not to get too comfortable in that place, not to wallow. We take time needed to feel what we feel, but then we can aim to take ourselves to the next level so we can move forward or upward.

Some of what the young woman spoke of were things she could do nothing about, personally. Probably what rocks our boats when we face similar situations is that we see we are not in total control of everything that happens in life, we are participants. We can, however, exercise control over ourselves. We can, as Allen says, look for insights and wisdom.

As an unknown source said, "Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." I know that each morning I wake, there will be outcomes from actions I've taken and there will be unexpected moments I may perceive as positive, not as positive, or downright difficult. I put my own "mantra" on the wall in front of my computer so I see it often: Something wonderful happens today. This isn't a wish-it-were-so phrase for me, I expect it. I just have to be open to it being whatever it will be. It may be spectacular or I may have to look for it amongst the day-to-day details that require my attention. It may be a diamond or one flake of glitter, but I know it's there.

Will you look for what sparkles in your life? Something wonderful happens today, and it never stops.