“Everyone wants to live on the top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it.”
~ Andy Rooney
I thought this quote was perfect to describe how our lives have been full of so many challenges lately and finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel feels like we will eventually enjoy the view after such a long climb!
All of us could use some positive words and a good source of inspiration as we head into the spring; so, I wanted to share with you a book I recently read called “The Mount of Olives” 11 Declarations to an Extraordinary Life”, by Michael V. Ivanov.
We should never quit searching, never settle, and never stop seeking our greatest purpose in life.
It is in the struggle during our search that our purpose will be revealed to us and then our extraordinary life begins!
It is so exciting when I work with someone who sets out on their own path to seek a better way to live. I understand we all want different things but, in the end, I believe all the same things matter to us.
Michael’s book encouraged me to incorporate his declarations into my daily life and I hope you find your own personal way to benefit from his words of wisdom.
The 11 Declarations to an Extraordinary Life:
- Words spoken set life in motion. We are afraid about what we must go through and acknowledge our destructive thoughts is a disease of the mind. Our ego is programmed to seek survival, not happiness. Our voice needs to speak FOR us…. Not against us! Stop believing your inner critic is telling the truth; they are lies to keep you from being your authentic self.
- Live with the end in mind. We need to evaluate where we are each day because our future will not magically change. Try peering through the glass of time to your last day; we must decide what we want it to be like, did you really live? Did your life serve a purpose? Yesterday’s failures can’t stop us from doing something different today, living with the end in mind helps us truly live!
- In all things, be filled with gratitude. Gratitude changes in the inside of our minds and bodies. If we let go of our ego we are able to look at all the bounty in our lives. Even in sorrow we are able to find things to be grateful for and when we are joyful, we need to give thanks! If we start to complain try counting your blessings. Write them down and give thanks. If there is something lacking; ask for it as if you already had it in your possession. Remember in all things be grateful.
- Each day, give of yourself more than you ever have before. Most of us will wait for an opportunity to show up before we begin working, but the truth is the work needs to be put in long before the opportunity shows up. Opportunity always has a way of finding those who are busy and already doing the work. Only concern yourself with your work and give it your greatest effort. Nothing worth anything ever comes easy, we need to work diligently for what we want.
- Blame no one but yourself. Human beings have mastered the remarkable ability to find blame in everything. We can justify our limitations or we can learn to break out of them. Only YOU have the ability to create your own happiness and if it has eluded you, the blame is on you. What would you try if you knew you wouldn’t fail?
- Develop a burning desire. A wish is simply a wish and it will remain a wish until it fades. If your desire turns your wish to a thing you possess, you MUST have a desire that burns for THAT thing. Thousands upon thousands have tried, but few achieve it because they are missing one thing: BURNING DESIRE. All THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
- You must take action. Any opportunity that comes our way, no matter the amount of fear we face, we need to do everything to act on it. We are not what we say; we are what we DO!!! It is our actions that reveal who we really are. Withholding action only makes the thing an idea and always remember that the world is built on ideas FOLLOWED BY ACTION!
- Always persist. Although we get tired, rejected, and defeated to the point it seems there is no end in sight…. WE still need to persist. Our dreams will come true if we do NOT quit and always persist!
- You are a creature of habit. Our minds need to have a destination. We all attempt to make life easier so we create habits from our choices. Soon, the daily choices we make have turned into a way of life whether we are aware of it or not. Habits are a matter of great importance in all aspects of life. Your life today reflects much of the habits we have created. Do NOT take this lightly! “Whoever I am, I am there because of my habits.” Form habits around the things you need to do, and do them even when you have no desire to. Your mind is a powerful and unstoppable force, waiting for your command. Whatever you command of it, you will surely see.
- Love will set you free. All of us live so preoccupied with ourselves. We are focused on our own well-being and forget to embrace the life around us. It is not just what is around us, but also what LIVES inside us that can bring happiness, purpose, and wealth. Simply understanding we something much bigger than just ourselves can bring us peace. What kind of love can take away fear and worry? Do you think anyone has ever gained an hour of life by worrying? This is a destructive habit that causes sicknesses, stress, and anxiety so we live in fear instead of choosing love. Letting go of hate, anger, frustration, and envy that has chained our minds but we didn’t know WE had the key to unlock the chain… LOVE. The world is broken and can only be fixed by one condition… It can be fixed with a love that is without condition.
- We must choose to believe. Though we can’t see, we can choose to believe. Though we can’t hear, we can choose to believe and though we don’t understand… we can choose to believe. What we believe provides us freedom and power. It is this unspoken faith that is alive in each one of our hearts. Faith is one principle that can’t be taught, but it is the most precious of them all. This is the one thing each person must discover on their own. We are all on the same journey… just on different paths where each of us needs to find our own unique life purpose. All you need to do is open your heart and believe!
Many people become slaves to destructive thought, but we all have the ability to change our perspective and create a victory out of defeat.
People want to find themselves in our stories, being vulnerable connects all of us, it is how we understand each other.
Remember our emotions are not a sign of weakness; they are a sign of humanness.
If we want success in any aspect of our lives, we need to learn to connect!
Maria Bucci, M.Ed LPC DWC-F. Daring Way Facilitator by Dr. Brené Brown
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