Problems

May 20th, 2013

(You are Powerful!)

Imagine this. One man is throwing hard round objects at another man. The other man has no hard objects to throw back just a stick. If we see it as a problem, we tell him to run away. If we see it as baseball, we tell him to stay in the game.

Our perception of what a problem is has everything to do with the solution. How we label a problem is the difference between learning and suffering. If we see a bad relationship as our cross to bear there will be great, needless suffering. If we see it as a launching pad for redefining who we are and what we really want it can be a breakthrough to a better life.

How do you label your problems? Are they the sword of Damocles hanging over your head ready to take your life at any moment? Maybe they are the snow pack that threatens to avalanche and bury you if one more flake falls on them. Or maybe, just maybe, they are opportunities. Maybe they are there to to get you strong enough to get rid of a toxic person or maybe a toxic job. Maybe your problem is what leads you to eating healthier or exercising. Maybe your problem is the reason you try something new to generate more income. Then they would no longer be problems, would they?

Look at the problems in your life. What is the world throwing at you? Something to harm you or a chance for you to hit a home run? The right answer determines your happiness. Swing away!

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

The Play

May 13th, 2013

(You are Invaluable!)

“All you have to do is focus on what you want” they say. But what if you don’t know what you want. What if, regardless of your age, you don’t have a clue about what you want to be when you grow up? What then?

One of the first things you must understand is that “HELLO! Everyone does not operate out of the same instruction manual!” People without well defined goals are not lazy. People without a clear vision of where they are going are not lost. People who are treading water are not wasting their lives. Every person in every second of their life is living it perfectly. Stop judging others and stop judging yourself. You didn’t write the script for this amazing play. You have a part just like everyone else and it’s working just fine. The only thing you get to change is your attitude.

If you are sitting on your butt trying to figure out what to do then revel in the fact that you are sitting on your butt trying to figure out what to do. Don’t berate yourself for not having answers. Don’t berate yourself for not having “made it”. You may have a defining moment in your life that tells you what it was for or you may be changing hearts and minds long after you die just because you lived your life a certain way.

The shepherd out on the mesa does not have a poorer life than the CEO. Your wealth, your worth does not come from some amazing accomplishment or some great resume. Your worth, your wealth comes from being kind, from caring, from loving. Your worth comes from not criticizing yourself for not being “more”or for not being a “somebody”. Your worth, what you should be when you grow up comes down to one thing. Be kind to yourself and others. The Director will make sure your part is meaningful.

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com

 

Anger

May 6th, 2013

(You are Blessed!)

Anger makes little things large and makes the insignificant significant. It is a fire that devours everything and everybody in its wake. In its search for more fuel it will search every file in your memory for any person, place or thing that ever upset you at any time and make it feel current. How do you tame the beast?

First of all, getting upset at yourself for getting angry just adds fuel to the fire. Now you get to be mad at yourself along with everyone else. Don’t do that. Secondly, blame is to anger what a strong wind is to a forest fire. Stop blaming. Thirdly, stop thinking of your anger as a runaway train. You do have your hands on the controls at all times. Anger is just convincing you not to use them. Use them.

What I am about to tell you can change your life. When you feel anger rear its ugly but powerful head, clap your hands. Just like a hypnotist bringing someone back from a deep trance, clap your hands once and say to yourself; “My life is not fueled by anger. My life is fueled by love!”. This hits the emergency brake on your anger. BUT in the next critical moment you must understand that getting rid of your anger is going to leave a vacuum and if you don’t fill that vacuum with something, anger will be sucked back in.

The next critical step is to fill that now empty space with gratitude. Immediately start thinking about your blessings to the exclusion of everything else. It will be a struggle for a bit but a struggle that you can definitely win each and every time. Don’t let anger steal your peace of mind, your judgement or your relationships. Give it the clap.

(c)2013 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com