“We need dirt,”  he said. “What?  Why do we need dirt?” I asked.  My 13 year old son replied, “We need dirt for our backyard so I can make (bicycle) jumps.”  Ohhhhh….I thought as I now understood where he was coming from.  I then said, “Sure, we can look at that.”

Although I decided to make the calls and investigate bringing in dirt, I was mostly thinking, “That’s my guy…keeps my hopping, never a dull moment, and man… that child likes to spend some money!…On dirt this time! I think I will try and discourage him.”   There I am…the supportive mom.

A couple of weeks roll by and he mentions it again.  My husband and son go outside to look at the greenbelt behind our house.  It is full of trees and needs to be cleaned out. They were discussing and designing where the dirt should go.  I am still thinking… “Really…dirt?”  

One of the things I consistently teach is that we have everything we need right now to take the next step in the direction we want to go.  We allow inevitable challenges and obstacles to become the reasons of why we don’t finish something (yet) and accomplish little or nothing.  Many times these “obstacles” are nothing more than a thought we allowed ourselves to think.  A reason or excuse of why we haven’t done something.  That happens sometimes, doesn’t it? 

Rather than waiting on dirt, waiting on me to visit Home Depot and asking for the dirt guy list of numbers, calling the dirt people, getting the estimate on dirt, who is delivering it?  Really?  I really do not want to spend my money on dirt.  

In the meantime, my son and his friend got to work.  With our shovel, ax, hoe and their desire for and willingness to work to create bike ramps; they cleared a path in the greenbelt.  They collected sticks and branches that had fallen from trees and piled them horizontally in one nice stack until it reached a reasonable height for a ramp.  They found a piece of plywood and angled that plywood on that pile of branches.  In another spot, about 15 feet in front of that, they found some large stones (probably from my garden), and used a smaller piece of plywood to create the first and smaller ramp.  

I was so proud of them.  They used the resources they had, worked for what they wanted and created some jumps!  Free!  Complete!  Now they can enjoy their jumps and feel amazing for making it happen; the reward for their efforts.  Not to mention, saving the mother her time and money.  

Imagination.  Creation.  Accomplishment.  Achievement.  Success.  These things can be measured in many ways.  Some of those measures are not what you would normally think of.  Those measures are that you kept your commitment to yourself, you stayed the course, you created your reality and did not allow something you made up in your head, a thought, keep you from doing what you wanted to do.  

You know what you need to do.  Take that step, then the next, and the next.  Take one day at a time, and get one in a row, then two and so on.  Control what you can and understand that you can’t always control outside factors, yet you can control what you do to move forward.  Most importantly you can control your thoughts.  You may have heard the saying that if you believe that you can’t, then you are right.  Stay peaceful, stay on track, take a deep breath and look at your choices when a challenge arises.  What will you choose?  Chip away.  You can.  Build your ramps.  Those will take you where you want to go.  


Health Inspires. 

The real you is waiting.  You know you are in there!  You know how good it feels when you are doing your best, feeling purposeful and when everything is clicking in your life.  Keep that feeling, self awareness, joy, happiness and connectedness by practicing these 5 ACTIONS to the REAL YOU. 

1. Give Love, show love, live love and be love.  Love is action and is shown in acts of kindness, helping others and showing compassion.  Mostly, it is wanting what you want for yourself more for others.  It has been said that love is the greatest gift of all.  1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  We are all connected by love.  What response do you get when you speak to somebody in a frustrated, angry or ugly tone?  Exactly the same as your delivery…right? The same holds true when you speak to somebody in a loving and caring tone, and show love by treating yourself and others with respect. 
2. Give kindness, show kindness, live kindness and be kindness.  This goes hand in hand with love.  You show kindness through acts of love.  These are actionable items that will bring you joy and happiness.  The feeling and energy we get when we help others is palpable.  That energy spreads and connects us all.  It is a positive force that is in us and when we show kindness, we are inspiring others to act the same.  When you are kind, others respond in likeness.  When you are not, others respond in likeness.  
   
3. Pray, meditate and spend time listening.  Peacefulness grows from listening.  Slow down to have quiet time, if even for 5 minutes.  This will give you perspective on your best day and on your worst day.  Listen.  Pray.  Meditate.  Stay connected to your true self, to living your purpose and staying on path.  Use your natural gifts that come easily to you.  What do you enjoy?  What are you good at?  If you are still searching, practicing steps 1, 2 and 3 will lead you to answers.  The more you practice, the more of this you will be.  You will find clearer communications with others.  I find the best time for me is in the morning and again during the day when stress tries to creep in.  Listen, pray and meditate.   Start your day and end your day in prayer.  It works.  Stay connected.  
4. Practice gratefulness.  Recognize the good in your life from the little things to the big things and everything in between.  You have everything you need right now to take the next step in the direction of your dreams.  I share with my children frequently, that they have everything they need right now to be the best they can be.  The only thing that stops any of us is a thought we allow our mind to think.  Those thoughts can be paralyzing.  Much of what we feel starts in our head.  You have everything you need right now, to take the next step in the right direction for you.  Writing down what you are grateful for takes the emphasis off less pleasant things and places it on the good.  I suggest keeping a gratitude journal and writing down three things you are grateful for every night, or state those things in your prayers every night.  Writing has a visual component that helps emphasize things you are grateful for.  I have a friend who says that her favorite bed time prayer her parents used to say with her was simply,  “Thank you.  Amen.”
5. Begin with the end in mind.  Stephen Covey says “Begin with the end in mind”, Dr. Wayne Dyer has said, “Think from the end”, and most importantly, in the bible; Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  Similarly, in Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  You truly can create things for yourself in this life.  A single thought of doubt can throw you off track and keep you from being all that you are meant to be.  It is a sort of human self sabotage.  Therefore, a belief and vision of what you want in your life will act the same.  If you believe it…so shall it be.  Begin with the end in mind and think from the end.  Write it out in your handwriting.  Cut out pictures and hang them so you can see those everyday.  Create actions to move in that direction. Schedule time for those bigger goals each week, and in all things and in all moments; practice steps 1-5.

Take time to stay in love, in kindness, in prayer, in gratitude and on your path.  We all benefit from this.  

Health Inspires.