Small Victories Blog
14
MarI was recently exploring the fear factor. Fear is inevitable. But, I realized there are different kinds of fears. Some fears paralyze us and some fears push us to our potential. In looking at my own fear, I discovered that the fears I had actually pushed me to reach my full potential in embracing life. The fear of being left on the sidelines of life was bigger than my fear of stretching out of my comfort zone. Up until I was 12 years old, I spent the summer on the steps of a swimming pool as my friends played in the deep end. I had it. I was tired of being left in the shallow end. So I was faced with a choice: do I play it safe and stay on the side steps of the shallow end or do I risk drowning as I learn to swim? I was more afraid of not being able to participate fully than [...]
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01
MarOn Saturday, February 27, 2010, at 4 AM, my husband and I were woken up by the phone ringing. On the other side was our friend who informed us that a tsunami was headed for our home state, Hawaii, caused by an 8.8 earthquake in Chile. As I heard the news, my heart dropped as pictures of the potential damage began to flash in my mind. As we began to prepare for the worst, a sense of helplessness loomed over me knowing that I could do nothing except pray. There are times in our life when we feel helpless in the face of circumstances beyond our control: a natural disaster, a tragic death, an unexpected car accident. But helpless does not mean hopeless. During those times that appear beyond our control, it is essential to put your hope and faith in something or somebody that will give your life meaning and a sense of living forward into the future. Les [...]
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15
FebEnglish Writer, Arthur C. Clarke, said, “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” What is possible? Was it possible for humans to navigate a metal vehicle in the air? Was it possible to light up a room from a single light bulb? Was it possible for humans of various races and religions to be given equal rights? At one point in our history, the answers to these questions would have been NO. So, what is possible? My answer: ANYTHING! I have obvious limitations and yet, I have gone beyond those limitations that were imposed on my by society. I could have easily adopted their limiting beliefs. But I believed more in the possible than my obvious limitations. As obvious as they are, I hold on tight to my belief that it is possible for me to write. It is possible for me to feed myself. It is possible for [...]
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28
JanMarianne Williamson’s quote was made infamous by Nelson Mandela. She wrote in a Return to Love, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” This is [...]
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20
JanI have met many types of people, but in my experience there are basically two types: the victim or the victor. The victim saturates him/herself in their hurts, hopelessness, helplessness, disappointments, self-pity and points the finger of responsibility for their life at everyone else. The victor revels in hope, joy, love, purpose and only holds him/herself responsible for the outcomes of their life. As I thought about how certain people fall into either the victim or the victor category, I looked at my own life experiences. Most people would not have blamed me from taking on the victim role. I have freely been given pity throughout my life. After all, what kind of life should I expect being born without arms and legs? What I have discovered is that I have been able to be a victor because I accepted myself and the circumstances in which I was in. Once I accepted my circumstances, there was nothing wrong, nothing to [...]
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