QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
Real difficulties can be overcome, it is only the imaginary ones that are
unconquerable.
—Theodore N. Vail
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
To be alive is to have difficulties. Some are very real and can be addressed and worked on in the present moment. But there are also the imagined difficulties. These difficulties are the "what ifs" of life. They are the things we might imagine of out of fear, or stress, or "things that go bump in the night." We do not base them on any reality of the moment but on our very active and creative imaginations. We cannot resolve them because they are not real. They just spin around in our minds, keeping us from working and living in the present. They stunt our growth and suppress our happiness. They are the enemy of our truly living, learning, growing, and experiencing the joy of the moment.
You might say that "what ifs" help us plan wisely for the future. Certainly we can and should plan for the future. For instance, we plan the care of our health to prevent disease. We plan our savings to provide security in the future. We plan our education to broaden our experience and opportunities. But there is a difference between healthy planning and a reaction to imagined fears. When you think that you have a great problem or fear, ask yourself if it is based on something that is happening or something that you imagine "might" happen? Can you see, feel, talk to the difficulty or is it doing all the talking? Is the definition of the problem preceded by "what if" or "if only?" Is it the cause for sound planning to enhance your life or just a fear of the unknown with no really factual basis?
Work on the real difficulties. Forget the imagined ones. They are unconquerable anyway. Why waste your time on them? They do not deserve your attention and only serve to rob you of being truly alive and vibrant in the present moment.
Blessings and Love,
Allen Schmeltz
Copyright © 1999 Allen F. Schmeltz. All rights reserved.
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