Problems

February 24th, 2014

Most people have an opinion on what’s wrong with the world and each and every part of it. Opinions are good. We need to be able to understand that there is work to be done BUT just as sure as the night follows the day, focusing exclusively on problems instead of solutions creates more problems.

When we start reading about and talking about and writing about what’s wrong we find a bunch of it. If we keep looking for what’s wrong we’ll start finding it in places we weren’t even looking. We will find what’s wrong in our relationship, our job, our children, our age, our health, where we live, how we live. Good bye happiness, it was great to know you.

We must constantly ask ourselves whether or not something is truly wrong or is it just not to our liking? We must ask ourselves have we tackled our problems before we take on the world’s problems? Have we paid enough attention to what’s right in our relationships, our country, our world? Is there good in where we live, what we do, our health our age?

Yes, there are problems and an important part of growing is learning which ones you can do something about and which ones you have to learn to live with without being consumed by them. A problem solved is a wonderful feeling and no longer a problem. A problem that is unsolvable right now and yet understood and accepted as part of your life right now is no longer a problem either. Judge your problems as they arise and don’t just add them to a list. Get rid of some, contemplate some and act on some but never, ever be identified by some. Remember, your problems are what you work on but your blessings are who you are.

(c)2014 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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Shine

February 17th, 2014

What does the darkness look like? It’s… well, it’s kinda like… it’s ah, well, it’s dark. Absolutely correct! When darkness descends on any part of our life or in some cases on our whole life, it is beyond words because we can only describe things in the light. So when someone is experiencing darkness in their life it is useless to ask what’s wrong. The only answer of any truth would be that it is dark.

If a person is in darkness they don’t need someone to describe what it would be like if they weren’t. A voice from the sunny entrance to a cave yelling directions and those words echoing all around the darkness of the cave does not help the person lost in the cave find their way out.

If you want to help someone who is in the dark you must shine so brightly that they can get their bearings. Joining them in the dark without shining brightly just puts two people in the dark. To help you must shine. Shining is not perfect or uplifting words. Shining is an act of love first for yourself and then for everything else within your light. Shining is keeping your light lit with your own uplifting thoughts.

If you want to help, shine. Shine with love. Shine with compassion. Shine with gratitude. Shine with non-judgement. Shine with your eyes, smile and posture. Shine REGARDLESS of whether it is accepted, appreciated or acknowledged. You are not here to fight the darkness. You are here to shine so brightly that there is no darkness.

(c)2014 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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Spaghetti

February 10th, 2014

“What do I want to be when I grow up?” The reason that this question rarely has an answer and usually becomes an increasingly irritating problem is because we imagine that our future should look like an uncooked stick of spaghetti. In reality though, our future will look very similar to cooked spaghetti, filled with twists and turns and changing every time we interact with it. So what’s the answer?

If you wanted to climb a mountain trail but you had a beautiful sports car you would never make it. If you had a minivan and wanted to compete with race cars you probably wouldn’t do too well. So, the first order of business is to know who you are. This is about your discipline, your stamina, your physical abilities. What can you physically see yourself doing?

Next, what do you like? Don’t go looking for what you are wildly passionate about every day because for most of us that changes faster than the weather. Look for what feels good. Look for what makes you smile. Look for something that you daydream about often. Don’t worry if it sounds like the road to poverty. It’s a starting place not a destination.

Next, who do you think you would be if you did something different? Most of us want to change what we are doing in some area of our life but we don’t want to be any different than the person we are right now. Sorry but when anything in your life changes no matter how small, you change.

Remember the cooked spaghetti? Well, remember that no matter how great you plan or how badly you plan, life is going to take you on one helluva ride. It might look like some people have an uncooked spaghetti life but if you could see inside their hearts and minds, you would see that every one of us is following the cooked spaghetti route in some or all areas of our life.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A person that is not afraid to change is the best answer. Put that out there. Don’t try to exact some kind of security clause in case it doesn’t work out as planned. Just be okay with change. There is a higher part of you that knows where you are going and how you will get there. Just take relaxed action and work with life. Directional signs will pop up everywhere once you relax. An fear of change is the obstacle and not a lack of foresight. Remember, you are doing better than you think.

(c)2014 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
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Life

February 3rd, 2014

We want happiness and good health for ourselves and our loved ones. We want enough money so that we can stop worrying about having enough money. We want extra money to help those less fortunate. We want to feel better all the time or at the very least we don’t want to feel bad anymore.

And this is how we go through life. Hoping it gets better and holding on when it doesn’t. We’ve convinced ourselves that we are better off than most but… could it be better, a lot better? And the answer is…YES! But in order for it to get better, we have to get better.

First of all understand that stuff is going to happen that you don’t like or maybe even hate. Sickness and pain and death are part of this reality and nobody escapes from the bad stuff. So first you have to get strong enough to handle the bad stuff when it hits. You must exercise, pray, rest, eat pretty well and exercise and meditate regularly. A well trained fighter can take a punch and keep going. Second, celebrate little things and build on that. A good parking space, a favorite song coming up next, a crumpled piece of paper making it into the trash. Celebrate like crazy when you are right. Forget about it when you aren’t.

Third, control your environment. You’re going to get scared when you watch a horror movie, right? So, at all times, pick the mood you want and create the proper surroundings to enhance it. Choose the pictures, music, smells, colors that will influence you in a positive way. Fifth, your relationship with others is not always going to be a day at the beach. Sometimes they feel like you felt when you were down or agitated. Let go of their stuff!

The great paradox is that life is simple but parts of it are really complex. Understand that you’ll never bat a thousand, you’ll never win on every pull of the slot machine, not everyone is going to like you, there’s not a one size fits all answer to anything and sometimes you are going to be completely misunderstood. That’s life. It’s a place where a day can last forever but a decade can go by in the blink of an eye.

You and I are here to live. We are here to receive. We are here to give. We are here to learn. We are here to explore. We are here to enjoy as much of this life as we can. We are here to have an adventure. We are here to love. We are here to serve. We are here to hold someone’s hand every now and then. Sometimes it will be to help them and sometimes it will be to help us.

(c)2014 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride
www.PatrickInspires.com
Facebook – Sundrops On Life