How well do you deal with the controversies of life?

Bring your focus home

One person lives eighty years one time, while another lives one year eighty times.

Read the above statement again and see if you can grasp its meaning before you continue. If you think about it, you will see there is a lot of truth in the statement. What it is saying is that some people don’t seem to change much even after many years of living. They hold on to their beliefs, their convictions, their attitudes, and opinions. This is like living the same year over, and over again.


Others prefer to grow with each new experience. They are not set in their ways. They are forever open to reevaluate their idea of every concept. They live their lives like children, and it shows in their demeanor.


Which one are you? It is somewhat obvious that there exists an almost unlimited number of concepts of what the truths of life are. What is not so understood is that any one of these concepts of truth can be true, in that the expected belief can actually reign valid in the mind of the person who holds it.


This is interesting, because a contrary belief can have a contrary effect on the person who holds that contrary belief. This can be true even when all other aspects the same. It is as if every possibility really does exist in some manner in all places and at all times. Why does each person experience life differently then?


I prefer to see it as we can witness a common cold or flu. There are people who tend to be extremely prone to getting sick, while others tend to have an almost impenetrable constitution. Together they walk into a room filled with a flu virus. They spend a little time in the room, then exit. One gets sick. The other remains healthy.


What happened? The two are different in some way you say. Agreed, but how so? Let’s take it further and say they are identical twins and they live together, eat the same foods and enjoy the same activities. Is it still possible that they could have this same result? Sure. But why?


In the room the flu virus exists the same for both of these two persons. The virus may attack either of them, and likely does. The difference is not in the room itself, but in the individual. One has somehow acquired a stronger immune system. The attack is deflected by this immune system.


Now consider situations in life. The very same situation may affect two different people in completely different ways. One person gets all upset or angry when the exact same situation will not seem to affect another. We’ve seen examples of this time and again, but most don’t realize that the reaction is really a choice. Perhaps it may be difficult to exercise that choice, because of past conditioning, but it remains a choice.


If you can at the very least recognize that how you respond to any situation is a choice, you will have come a very long way towards exercising that choice. Next time you notice yourself feeling negative in some way, stop for a moment and consider; what would be a more positive response to what I’m experiencing?


If you do this, you should notice at the moment of your asking, however brief it may be, that there is a point of relief from all emotion. Try it and you will see. When you do notice this, dwell upon that realization. Consciously intend to create that moment again, and extend it. Try to play with the possibilities.


This takes concentrated effort at first, but the more you realize the possibility, the more control you will have to make a conscious shift in your attitude during trying times. This is the beginning of self-actualization. It is the beginning of taking control of your destiny. The more you exert conscious control in your life, the more you will find that you also control the possible outcomes.


Love and peace,
Jeffrey Brandt






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