Daily Meditations for Tough Times

What If Life Isn't Fair?

What if life really isn't fair?

What if people never treat you right?

What if your children never come to appreciate all the sacrifices you made for them?

What if you never get the promotion you feel you deserve?

What if, as hard as you try, you never get ahead, stay on top of the bills or find the mate of your dreams?

What are you going to do then? Will you curl up into a little ball and decide to die?

Probably not.

Most of us have experienced things that seem inherently unfair at times. We all think there's Someone out there keeping score and one day, by golly, our day is going to come. We'll be well-loved in return for all the love we've put out there. We'll be rewarded with a better job to make up for all those dead-end ones we had over the years. Or that guy or girl will finally realize you are the one and will return to you with wide open arms, ready to love you just the way he or she should have all those years ago.

But what if it never happens?

Here's what you should do instead of waiting on that 'one day':

Create the life you want now. Don't wait on someone else to give you some boost, help or direction that you can give yourself.

Don't wait on Mr. Right - become Mrs. Right by being the person a great guy would want to marry.

Don't wait on your boss to recognize all your hard work - pat yourself on the back, find different ways of expressing your creativity or open the doors of your own business.

Don't wait on your kids to come visit and call on a regular basis - become a mentor or volunteer with the hundreds of thousands of kids who would love to have a big brother or big sister like you.

Because - you know what?

Life isn't fair - at least not the way we think it should be - and we simply have to roll with the punches sometimes. Which oftentimes mean creating our own opportunities to thrive, experience life to the fullest and make the most of what are our God-given talents.

Don't wait on Life to even up the score. Create the life you wholly want and desire for yourself.

Don't wait on anything else...

It Always Seems Impossible in the Beginning

It always seems impossible in the beginning.

When you begin to do something, all you can think about is how hard it's going to be, how many obstacles you have to overcome and how impossible it all seems.

It seems overwhelming. You're faced with a new challenge and there seems to be so much to do. You have to get organized, you have to start your to-do list and you have to find time to do some research. You have to check your finances, see if you can make room in your already crowded schedule, debate whether or not to let some things go and do a gut check to make sure - for the 100th time - that this is something you really want to do.

You have to listen to your friends doubt you, your parents nagging you and the bad news about the economy discouraging you. Even worse, you have to get over that very nasty internal voice that basically tells you it's not worth it. Wait later, it says, try some other time. Isn't it easier just to remain where you are?

And you want to give in. You want to decide that, no, it's really not worth it, and boy, it would be so much easier not to have to hear all the doubts and discouragement and bad news that's directed towards you personally.

It always seems impossible in the beginning.

So you take it one step, one day, and one minute at a time.

Yes, there is a lot to do. And, yes, it is easier just to remain where you are. And, yes, it would be much easier if you didn't have to deal with so much negativity directed towards you.

But there was a reason you started this journey. There was a reason you set this goal. And you must remember those reasons - NO MATTER WHAT.

Just do one thing at a time. Focus on what can get done today, do what you can and move forward. It won't be perfect and sometimes it won't even be pretty, but you can only do what you can. So move forward in the knowledge that as you make this journey, things will get easier. The fifty steps you needed to do are all of a sudden 48 and then 35 and then 20. And you keep moving forward. Focusing on one goal at a time, one day at a time. Until you get it done.

It always seems impossible in the beginning.

But that just makes overcoming it even sweeter.

You Are Strong Enough

Though you're tired and it's been a long week and you just don't see where you'll get the strength, remember this:

You Are Strong Enough.

The other day, I went to work feeling exhausted. I had done too much, had tried to meet too many obligations, and just felt like I had just over-extended myself.

So I went in to work to tackle what absolutely HAD to be done before I could go home, get some rest and restore my energy.

One of those tasks was to retrieve a 500 copy duplicating project I had sent to our duplicating center. For some reason, I had decided to wait until the very last minute to go and get it and now I was paying the price.

So I grabbed my cart, made the trek to the duplicating center, and after making an outside trip to a separate building, catching an elevator and then another long trek to the place, I finally arrived.

I got my copies and packed the three boxes they gave me on top of my cart. I looked at those boxes, thought about the long trek, elevator ride and outside trip I was going to have to make to get them back and then felt completely overwhelmed.

So I stopped and rested for a while. And while I was resting, I started plotting a new route back which would only involve going down one set of steps and then an outside trip and then I'd be back at my office. And as I studied the boxes, I realized there was a far more efficient way of stacking them, and so I proceeded to do just that.

And, before I realized it, I was re-stacking and moving boxes and making my return trip and having such a good time of it that I FORGOT how tired I was.  It didn't occur to me until I had gotten down the steps, made the outside trip humming, and gotten back to my offices that, as a matter of fact, I was feeling GREAT!

So what had changed? Not my physical state.  I was still exhausted and desperately needed to get some sleep.

But what had changed was my MIND.

It made me realize that we are unconvinced of our strength simply because we do not BELIEVE we have it in us. We believe we are too tired, too weak and too overtaxed to do the things which need to be done.

Well, I'm here to tell you today: You ARE strong enough.

You are strong enough to do all the things you need to do.

You are strong enough to problem-solve and advance your way out of that situation.

You are strong enough to be on top of the world.

You are strong enough to survive another day.

And you are strong enough to get through this challenge just like you did the last five challenges before this.

You ARE strong enough.

Now you must simply BELIEVE.

Don't Let It Affect Your Core

No matter what you're going through:

Don't let it affect your core.....

There is a special, sacred part of you that exists on the inside.

It is the part of you which gives you your self-worth.

It's where you draw your strength.

It's the part of you that believes in you and your dreams no matter what.

It's where your soul resides.

It's the part of you that no one should EVER be allowed to touch.

It is your core.

That part of you should be protected from anybody or anything that seeks to harm it.

No matter what is said, what is done, or what is currently going on - Don't Let It Affect Your Core!

Don't let anything make you doubt yourself.

Don't let anything get you down.

Don't let anything exhaust you.

Don't let anything convince you it's not worth it.

Fight through whatever is going on, but don't let it affect your core.

Protect yourself (and it) from all the negativity and nonsense this world has to offer. Maintain that peace and inner balance that is so essential to living a successful life - NO MATTER WHAT.

Don't let it affect your core.

Rise above it, go around it, ignore it or do what you have to do.

But don't let it affect you negatively.

Allow Adversity to Strengthen You

Just a few quick words today to say this:

Allow your adversity to strengthen you.

When times are tough, allow them to make you tougher.

If you endure unrelenting criticism, learn to let it roll right off of you.

If your patience is tested, allow it to make you stronger.

Use what you learn today to fight an even better battle tomorrow.

Don't moan, don't whine and CERTAINLY, don't be afraid.

Simply this:

Allow your adversity to strengthen you.