On Appreciating How Far You Have Come
Today I was eating pita with jam and it reminded me of a holiday I had in Jerusalem when I was younger and had had so little money with me that I survived solely on a bag of pita and a jar of apricot jam.
For a moment the thought arose of how far I had come since then.
I immediately dismissed the thought and then caught myself and forced myself to stop and reflect on it.
We all dismiss positive, self-affirming thoughts so often.
I want to challenge this dismissal here and ask you to reflect for a moment on how far you have come on your journey and how well you are doing.
Us humans have an inclination to never be satisfied with where we are and what we have.
We are always looking forward not back.
Why? Because out dreams are always ahead of us.
We are too busy chasing the next dream to realise that where we are now is the dream of yesterday.
Tell yourself "I am living my dreams!"
I hope you are, for I am. I am living in the country that I chose, married with kids, in my own beautiful house surrounded by fruit trees and sunshine, internet writing, and working on getting my children's books published.
The choices of the past have lead me to where I am today, and they've been good ones.
And on looking back I suddenly come across a realisation that it's all ok - that I'm the surfer and the universe is the wave moving me forward and taking me for a wonderful ride.
And so it is for you.
My faith in the power of life is restored and I am able to use my magic now as Martha Beck wrote:
'to sit patiently with a yearning that has not yet been fulfilled and to trust that that fulfillment will come.'
And it will come - I have learnt that through the simple lesson of pita and jam.
For a moment the thought arose of how far I had come since then.
I immediately dismissed the thought and then caught myself and forced myself to stop and reflect on it.
We all dismiss positive, self-affirming thoughts so often.
I want to challenge this dismissal here and ask you to reflect for a moment on how far you have come on your journey and how well you are doing.
Us humans have an inclination to never be satisfied with where we are and what we have.
We are always looking forward not back.
Why? Because out dreams are always ahead of us.
We are too busy chasing the next dream to realise that where we are now is the dream of yesterday.
Tell yourself "I am living my dreams!"
I hope you are, for I am. I am living in the country that I chose, married with kids, in my own beautiful house surrounded by fruit trees and sunshine, internet writing, and working on getting my children's books published.
The choices of the past have lead me to where I am today, and they've been good ones.
- Notice how your life has all come together. How people and things have 'magically' come into your life to help you at just the right moment.
- Notice how you have always found the money for whatever you've needed.
And on looking back I suddenly come across a realisation that it's all ok - that I'm the surfer and the universe is the wave moving me forward and taking me for a wonderful ride.
And so it is for you.
My faith in the power of life is restored and I am able to use my magic now as Martha Beck wrote:
'to sit patiently with a yearning that has not yet been fulfilled and to trust that that fulfillment will come.'
And it will come - I have learnt that through the simple lesson of pita and jam.