The Little Steps

Many of us love to read. Some prefer to read fictional novels often searching out a favorite author’s works. Others prefer to read non-fictional books or articles covering the gambit from historical figures, ancient times, or modern events that have shaped the world we live in. And, others prefer a fast read whether that is a newspaper where headlines are scanned to find an article of interest, or a book that presents several small articles that have been rewritten as a digest, or a magazine depicting a hobby of interest or a magazine devoted to professional sports teams.

And, there is a growing number of people who use modern technological readers or simply use the Internet to find information they are seeking. While every one of these reading alternatives is just fine, there often is an important subject that is neglected.

In the past, I often talk about the power of a daily diet of reading inspirational quotes. The reality is that a lot of us do not commit to add this vital component to our daily routine when in fact it is so easy to do, very meaningful and powerful, but so easy also not to do.

Just Like No Coffee!
To me, without reading and thinking and bringing a motivational quotation into my conscious thought patterns, is the same as not having my morning cup of tea or coffee – if I don’t have it, there is something missing. Part of the reason for the reading of a quote, saying or story rests with the individual`s personal needs. However, there are certain growth opportunities that are right in front of us and we don`t see their value.

The House Foundation
And, like building a house with a firm and lasting foundation, I find that the cumulative effect of digesting an inspirational message first thing in the morning continues to allow me to build a foundation of meaningfulness and positive building materials for the entire day.

I was recently reminded of the power of these quotations when I read the following quote one April day: “There is no giant step that does it. It’s a lot of little steps.” Peter A. Cohen

One Step At A Time
We do not develop anything with one giant step. No matter who you are, or what you do, each one of us had had to take a lot of individual steps to accomplish a task, a job, a career, or even a hobby. Each step serves to move us forward even if it is an inch at a time.

The people who have succeeded in any walk of life have had to take small steps over and over again to get where they are whether that being a doctor, who learned to apply their skills after many years of training, or a computer programmer who had to learn computer programming basic before they could move on to the next more complex computer language. Did they take one giant step and suddenly were a qualified doctor? No they didn’t.

And, so it is the same when you are developing a meaningful and full life. We need to proceed as if we are constructing a ship, or a house, or creating a work of art. We do not become masters of our own destiny in a day, nor do we develop the kind of outlook where we can turn negatives into positives, or disappointments into valuable lessons of life, or change adversity into opportunities.

Destiny
If you were to ask individual people walking down the street on a sunny Saturday morning, do you think that the majority of people would be able to describe their life and how it will unfold or how they want it to unfold as their destiny? Actually, it would be an interesting exercise to conduct. However, since we can’t do this in this article, let’s look at the question in a different way. What is your destiny?

To some people, they might answer that they don’t have a destiny in that whatever happens to them over the course of their life is simply a matter of chance. To these types of people, the journey of their life is not up to them at all. In fact, they might tell you that whatever has happened to them so far in their life has not been in their control and they have simply responded to each circumstance or situation as it has come along. Does this kind of response make sense?

In fact, if their life was made up of a complete and random series of chance events, how did they finish high-school? Some might argue that there had no decision in whether they went to high-school or not and had no choice but to finish. To do otherwise would have placed them in dire consequences with a parent or guardian. The unfortunate point here is that is how some people actually are forced to live their lives. They go through life believing because of past circumstances and pressures that they have no choice in life, or at the very least, little choice in life.

Decision of Destiny
You may think that the sub-title I’ve chosen is makes little sense but before you pass judgement, let’s look a little deeper into what I mean.

I am referring to the fact that each person has a choice in life. Each person has a choice to proceed down their own road, or to proceed down the road another person may have chosen for them or has greatly influenced them to travel. However, here is the alternate point. When you make a choice, you are actually setting sail somewhere. Now, the second part of this journey is that you make a choice to sail to a certain port; if you don’t, you may simply sail around until you inadvertently end up somewhere you may like or may not like. So, the question becomes, how do I know where to go?

Part of the answer to determine your port is to use a map or a set of guidelines that help point you in the right direction. Since you are really not on a ship, the destination to which you are moving towards can be guided more strongly by what you put into your mind. If your mind is filled with doom and gloom, you may end up in doom and gloom country. If your mind is guided by positive thinking, by right choices rather than wrong choices, you stand a much better chance of ending up somewhere much more pleasant.

What is this method of guidelines? Part of that method is to fill your mind with those things that positive and good; that are caring and compassionate; that offer comfort rather than pain. A lot of what I am talking about comes through the written word or, at the very least, positive movies. or positive articles. Positive plus equals better rather than negative minus equals nothing.

You do have a choice to direct your life filled with hope, zest, love, friendship and compassion. You do have a choice to influence yourself rather than let someone else take control and feed you what you may not want and that is more wrong than right for a better life.

One Last Comment
You cannot go through life without going through hardship, pain, failures, or challenges, but, you also cannot turn your life to point in the right direction unless you have a constant supply of positive influences as you can easily find through a daily inspirational or motivational quote. Start now and keep building.

If you don’t start adopting a positive pattern into your life, it is even more challenging to deal with life’s issues as they arise, and they will. There is no lack of challenges to face – they always seem to crop up without warning just like there is never a good time for a flat tire. Be prepared – always start your day armed with positive thoughts and refresh your thoughts throughout the day just like you refresh your coffee or tea.