Brighter Days Are Ahead

Right now, moments in this country and world are difficult for many people.  Difficulties ranging from financial stress to health concerns seem to outnumber the sands on the beach.  Unfortunately ocean waves can't wash all these things away like they do the sand.  However, we must keep hope no matter what that brighter days are ahead.  If we lose that hope, then we've lost our tomorrow.

One of the ways that I try to keep hope going is just by allowing my mind to focus on the thought that things will get better.  It isn't easy and if you're facing eviction or starvation, the last thing your mind wants to focus on is that brighter days are ahead.  Yet, if you give into the doom and gloom of your mind, you will end up fulfilling your own fantasy of the world before you.  It isn't hard, but when we are hit by the storms of life, we must not quit.

Another way I try to keep my focus on brighter days ahead is just to allow myself to have patience with the struggles I face, knowing I don't have to solve everything all at one time.  My mind tends to try and solve everything at once and it won't stop until I either exhaust myself or reach this goal.  Unfortunately this takes a toll on my sleep, relaxation, and just the normal functioning of my mind when faced with difficult moments and decisions in life.  It isn't easy to just be patient with myself because I usually place high demands upon my reality, but it is something I keep striving for in my life.


A way to keep my focus on brighter days which is not always successful is trying to find that one moment of joy in my day where my heart sings.  Even if this moment is short lived and temporary, if I can focus on that, it gives my mind something to connect to and hang on to, rather than ripping me into shreds.  It is like when someone remembers that vacation they took which just impacted their life.  So too, focusing on the short lived moment of joy in your day gives you something to bounce on until the next moment.

One final way I help to keep my focus on brighter days ahead is sometimes I get very quiet and just spend time all by myself.   Sometimes I just need those moments to try and listen to what my inner self is telling me and sometimes it is just to recharge my batteries because they keep draining quickly.  During times like this I may just get lost in a good book where my mind can go on autopilot and escape from the difficult moments I face in life.  If I can get lost in a good book, it is amazing how I can sometimes come out of this experience seeing life in a new way.

For me, I tend not to chase after the pretty rainbows of positive thinking.  While it may help you shift gears and direction in your life, you have to be careful because most people who engulf themselves in the positive thoughts are only tricking their brain.  I'm not saying that positive thinking is bad, just that most people aren't living in reality with the concept.  For me personally, I like to stay in reality, not in some made up fantasy world propagated by those who haven't figured out the truth that matters in life.

Regardless of what you do or how you feel about what I do, find something that works for you.  It doesn't matter if my ways work for me and they don't work for you.  We each have to search for our own existence and why we function in the way that we do.  To keep our heads hidden in the sand and act as if we have all the answers, is the surest way to lose one's mind.  Opening up through awareness will help us find our brighter days ahead, even if our journey seems to be much slower than everyone we know.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 7/3/12 by Don Shetterly

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