A new beginning

It is said, from every ending comes a new beginning. I have always believed this. I feel it is this belief, which has always given me the strength to look forward to better things when all seems to be lost. Some call it hope, or faith. Others may say it is foolishness. No matter what people think to call it, it is this quality which can be the deciding factor in a person’s character.


Everything that happens in a person’s life can be taken however that person chooses to take it. It is not so much what happens as it is how a person reacts to what happens that can make the difference. Everything that happens is an opportunity. It is very easy to see the opportunity when ‘good’ things happen to us. Though it is not always so easy to see the opportunity when ‘not-so-good’ things happen to us, it is important for us to remember that opportunity still exists. There is NEVER a time in our life when we have no opportunity.


It is by our own emotions of fear, anger and apathy that we tend to create paradigms. Paradigms are the limits we place upon ourselves. By learning to control these emotions, we break free from the paradigms. A whole new world of opportunities opens itself up to us.




Fear is an emotion of uncertainty. Fear of the unknown. It is the same water, where one man freezes with fear and drowns while another man enjoys a swim, the same water. One man has taken the time to learn to swim. The other has not. Fear is also the base of all other negative emotions.


Anger is the emotion of ignorance. Anger separates an intelligent debate, where both sides learn from the other and come to a consensus from a heated argument where both sides talk a lot but say very little. Neither side listens, nor learns.


Apathy is an emotion of indifference or lack of interest. Every child comes into this world with a spark; a desire to learn from each experience, as each experience is relevant to the child’s world. When we begin to lose this spark, we begin to lose our youth. There is no greater satisfaction than the satisfaction of learning something new for a young child. Hang on to this excitement, for it is the key to a life of fun and happiness.


By gaining control of these emotions, we gain control of our life. No longer are we a slave to our emotions. We are free to look at our world as it truly is without fear. We are able to make our decisions with less ignorance to the facts without anger. We are more likely to take action, rather than react, without apathy.




I believe it was at this point in my life that I was beginning to grasp the concept of the fourth Truth, the Truth of Success. That is, to know one’s potential. With this, we can truly grow in the eyes of God. It is not about what we accomplish in a worldly sort of way at all. It is what we accomplish within our heart that truly matters, how we grow to be as adults, our character. Any man who can claim no regrets from the heart has a grasp of this Truth. There is no fear, anger or apathy in this man’s heart.


This realization came to me at what I would consider to be the lowest point of my life. I had lost my wife. I had lost Kathy. I had lost Krystal. I had no money, home or a car. I had no front teeth and no means of replacing them. My hopes of getting somewhere at work were not becoming. Yet, through it all, I maintained not only my sense of sanity but I can honestly say I was happy with myself.


Why? The world can give and the world can take itself from you but the world is not our essence. We exist within it because God put us here. This is an opportunity. We have the world as a resource, to use as we will. Hopefully, we will use it to grow in our heart, our mind and body. Only the body comes from this earth. Only the body shall return to this earth. Our essence is so much more than this. It is what is within our mind and our heart. For this reason, I could be happy. I became very wealthy with the wisdom I had gained from my experiences. I had nothing, but I also had it all...




Thank you,

Jeffrey Brandt

Author of Close Your Eyes to Find Your Way: A Guide to Discovering Your Higher Self.









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