Daily Inspiration 11-20-11

"What is the difference between an obstacle

and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it.

Every opportunity has a difficulty,

and every difficulty has an opportunity."

-- J Sidlow Baxter

Shit happens. I've always loved that phrase. It displays an attitude toward events and circumstances that we feel are outside of our control and it is a peaceful relaxing in that something is there, and it is what it is and it is okay for now. To me it is not resignation, but more a way of acceptance.

Another way to say that is that difficulties happen. And it is our own resistance to the difficulties that creates the stress we get in our lives. We resist it by giving it undue attention, finding someone or something to blame for it, worrying about it, telling others about it and so on. The more attention we give the difficulty, the more difficulty we seem to have, even growing in significance and effect.

It will only be the temporary acceptance of the difficulty, or allowing it to be what it is that we can begin to see the opportunity or better said, opportunities that always exist in difficulties. The more we accept control, responsibility, the more we can accept and the more this is done, the easier the flow of the opportunities. This would be sped up somewhat by praising the difficulty for bringing to your attention the opportunities that it is bearing!

There will even be a point with practice that you become excited and even joyful at the onset of difficulty because of the solid knowledge of what that means.

I know that is not what most of us are taught, and I have found that there is much I have had to unlearn, and learn a better way. Instead of being pissed off, angry, complaining, sharing it with anyone who will listen, seeking sympathy, bemoaning and all the things that keep the difficulty in front of us, learning to embrace, be thankful, appreciate and accept is the most powerful and fruitful way to get to the opportunity that we really want, or the solution that lies within.

The best way that I have learned to deal with this is using the metaphor of a boat in a stream. As I row upstream, I am resisting, causing great effort, growing weary, taking one step forward and two back, and all of that. The way to see the opportunity is to stop rowing immediately, put the oars in the boat and relax and trust. It always comes. Yet, sometimes I pick the oars up again and when I realize that I've done that from habit, I take control again, and relax. With practice I get so much better at it.

There Are So Many Opportunities, I Get To Choose.

Spread Some Joy Today--Accept yourself the way you are right now. Love yourself the way you are right now. Believe in yourself the way you are right now. Accept responsibility for yourself the way you are right now. Decide to change if desired, but do it from a position of already being perfectly fine.