Change Your Life Friday

2021 Restart, Reset, & Relaunch

29. Experience

Posted on July 19, 2013 by changeyourlifefriday

“What one has not experienced, one will never understand in print.” – Isadora Duncan

Last weekend at a resort in Phoenix Arizona several thousand people gathered together to celebrate their lives and inspire the lives of others. I was blessed to be a part of the planning and culmination of this event and could not be more proud of the results that were apparent throughout and after the weekend had passed. Part of my job in putting this event together was to get the word out to people so they would not miss out on the experience of being a part of something so big and beautiful. I recognized I can share a concept and an idea, I can do it with love and enthusiasm, but a concept will never have as much weight as an experience.

My life today is so much different than when I was younger, thanks to some very vivid experiences I have been graced with. These experiences gave me the ability to see how my choices were giving me a life I no longer wanted. When I look at my life in reverse, all of the great changes have taken place came as a result of some experience that opened a window of willingness to take action for a change. I often see people who are begging and pleading for a change and I do my best to tell them how the changes in my life have taken place. Sometimes, I feel so strongly about these things that I want to scream at the top of my lungs to help inspire someone but then, like this weekend, I am reminded if the words could help someone change then no one would have issues or problems.

I know today, life is what I make of it and the best I can do is help others get out in the world to have their own experiences. My life happens out in the world and the only way I can capitalize on that is by becoming a part of it as much as I can. The world is waiting for all of us when we step away from this page. With a little bit of action maybe this will be the Friday that you truly change your life.

Affirmation: A good life is not just a concept; today I will take the action to make it my actual experience.

Call to Action: This is the juice as my friend would say. Every week we share an idea that can inspire change. What this week calls for is going out and being that change and sharing with us the results. I know what my next step is and today I am going to choose to take it, the result will be an experience that I can build on to. The world is waiting for you.

Serenity

Posted on July 12, 2013 by changeyourlifefriday

“Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is.” – Thomas Szasz

Six years ago, I was moving out west to go to school after spending time in the military. As I was walking on campus a great sense of peace and calm came over me, and for the first time I felt I was exactly where I needed to be and doing exactly what I needed to be doing. It was an odd experience because it was not until after my life started changing that I could recognize what that feeling was, serenity. Since that day nearly six years ago, I continue to have these serine experiences. They become deeper and more frequent.

This week I was able to make a pilgrimage back to where I first felt those unknown feelings of serenity, and the feeling of being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time came right back. I was able to reconnect with old friends. I was able to bring new friends to the places where I learned about serenity, with hope that they may have a similar experience.

During these great feelings of serenity and peace, I have been able to have some of my most profound life experiences and thoughts. What in your life brings you serenity? How can you harness this feeling in order to enrich your life? Who else in my life could benefit from this feeling and how can I share it with them? When I get away from this feeling, I try to shake up something about my life in order to see what is perhaps not working and helping me achieve similar things I have in the past.

Affirmation: Serenity is my truth. I know peace and serenity every step of my day.

Call to Action: Look for a time during your day when that sense of peace enters your heart. If that feeling of being in the right place at the right time shows up, harness that and use it to enrich your life. Please share with the CYLFriday community an example of this in your life today or in the past.

15. Believe

Posted on April 12, 2013 by changeyourlifefriday

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”

― Ronald Reagan

Last Saturday I was invited to go help as a volunteer for a nonprofit that is near and dear to my heart. I was under the impression that I would be assisting with some games that included tarps and parachutes, it sounded like a blast. Due to wind, and some other circumstances the activity had changed to face painting. For anyone that does not know me, I do not have an artistic bone in my body, so I thought I would hangout for moral support. About 20 minutes into the project there were more kids than volunteers to paint faces. One of the women looked at me, smiled and said, “You can paint a heart, right?” before I could answer an eight year-old girl enthusiastically came skipping over as I, much less enthusiastically, picked up a paint brush.

While I was painting the third kids face, and saw the joy in his eyes, it dawned on me that the kids did not care about my poor painting skills they were just excited to have their face painted. My depictions of soccer balls, sharks, hearts, and even a batman logo were mediocre at best. My real lesson came as the afternoon was winding down. A very ambitious boy, who just witnessed another little boy get a skull painted on his face sat down and said “I want a brown skull, with fire eyes, and wings, and vampire teeth, and bats flying around his head, and…” the list went on for a mile. My first reaction was “I do not think I can do all of that.” Immediately he and his two siblings exclaimed “YES YOU CAN! We believe in you.” My first reaction was a cynical thought that these kids need to be a little more realistic, and my second was that they must read corny inspirational blogs.

Their excitement coupled with their unhesitant belief in my ability allowed me to paint three more skulls, two of which had fire eyes. I had a ton of fun during that three or four hours of painting, doing something that brought real joy to kids, and it reminded me the importance of getting out of my comfort zone.

It took a bunch of little kids to remind me that I need to believe in myself twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. When I am engaged in maximizing my usefulness in the moment, I get to have an amazing experience.

Affirmation: I am capable, capable on making an impact on someone else’s life. I am the positive change this world needs. I believe in myself.

Call to action: I was so blown away by the hope and belief that these kids displayed in my abilities that I did not know I had. They came through as an outer voice for that inner knowledge that says I can do anything! Well this is your reminder, take some time today to recognize some limiting thoughts and remember, “YES YOU CAN! We believe in you.” You might just be surprised in what you create as a result today. Please share your thoughts with us.

13. Step to the Plate

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“God gets you to the plate, but once you are there you’re on your own.”

-Ted Williams

Spring is officially here, which is easily my favorite season. Not only because of the weather, but every spring brings us a new baseball season. If you’re like me when you are watching the art of baseball everything just seems right in the world. The perfection displayed on a baseball diamond is a magnificent thing to witness.

Watching the game is one thing, participating is another. I am writing this because a few days ago, not on the ball field but in the game of life, I was thrown a curveball. The end result was a big swing and a miss. I immediately found myself irritated, frustrated and mad. Why did I deserve this curveball? I try to participate in life everyday and do my best to grow as a person at the same time embracing the the life I have been given. I thought how dare I get this for my efforts?

After stepping back and reviewing the situation with some close friends of mine I realized that I was not unhappy with the curveball, I was unhappy with myself for not being prepared for it. After all, is not life full of curveballs? I would be naive to think that life is full of nothing but fastballs right down the middle of the plate. Therefore I found myself asking why was I not prepared for the curve?

Upon a little more reflection I also realized that my life is full of fastballs right down the middle. My problem had become that I was not embracing them as I had thought I was. I was not swinging for the fences of life. Today I will fully embrace the easy fastballs that life deals me and be aware to not take them for granted. I will also prepare myself for that big sweeping curve that will someday come my way again. With some simple practices of gratitude and humility I will fully participate in all aspects of my life. With some action and practice no matter fastball or curveball I will always swing for the fences.

Affirmation: I am ready and prepared for anything that comes my way today because in this moment I am whole, loved and supported.

Call to Action: It is easy to see how an unplanned and unpredictable situation can really startle us in life but it really is through those times that we get a check as to how rightly we are living. Have you had any curveballs thrown your way lately? If so how did you adjust to get a better perspective on them? Please share so that we all can follow your footsteps of growth and change.

In continuation of building our community of inspiration, I hope you enjoyed our third guest submission. This year, the last Friday of each month a guest writer will have their submission posted. If you have a thought, stance or story to share please send it to our email @ changeyourlifefriday@gmail.com

9. Persistance

Posted on March 1, 2013 by changeyourlifefriday

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” -Zig Ziglar

Several years ago I found myself in a very dark place, the light of the world and the light in my eyes had seemingly faded to a mere dim. When I was at my lowest I finally reached out for help and the help was there. At the time this was a miracle, I truly thought I had burned all of my relationships to the ground. I know from experience that when you feel that something miraculous is taking place you are willing to do or say just about anything to maintain the grace that is being bestowed upon you. In that moment I made a commitment to never have to feel the same darkness again, no matter what was asked of me.

This commitment that I made so long ago has carried a great deal of weight in my life for the simple fact that I have stuck by it. I can say, without question, that since that moment no matter how bad things have been I have not felt as bad as I did just before I made the above vow. The first part of my statement was to never feel “the same darkness again” which I truly have little control over, the second part though, “no matter what”, I do have control over. I have found that without constant practice and striving for growth I quickly start to move backwards, feeling less connected to the world around me.

When I take the time every day to do just a little bit of work on myself, including inspiring others, things always seem to be just the way they are supposed to be. I know that without a persistent effort on my part to grow daily I will never become the person that I was brought to this world to be. I think Zig Ziglar really had it right because if I do not find a little bit of motivation each day, through reading, sharing, loving or caring I really start to stink.

Affirmation: I am responsible for my own growth and today I choose to be the best me I can be.

Call to Action: I think this one is easy. Just do something to motivate and inspire yourself or others today. Then do it again tomorrow, and the next day and the next. If you do it right this change your life Friday will be an amazing week. Take a chance; otherwise you may sit around stinking.