Things Do Go Wrong... So Move Forward.

Nobody ever said that life was perfect or that it would be easy.  Not at all.  Still, that does not mean that if something goes wrong or gets screwed up; that it's the end all be all.  In fact, some of the best results have come from failures and that's also the best way to learn.  I have learned this over many, many years of my life and it is so very true.  It also means to take time, in order to accomplish the things we want to.  Again, nothing is going to happen overnight.  It will always require hard work to achieve something.
When somebody makes a mistake, there is always a lesson to be learned.  I am grateful for those lessons, as they have taught me so much.  Sometimes, they might be painful at first, but the knowledge paves the way for brighter days.  Take it easy, breathe & go slowly.  

...Take Your Time

We all have dreams and there is much hard work required to fulfill them.  It is OK to stop and look around once in a while.  Progress means that we are making efforts to get somewhere; not that we need to rush there. In fact, it is really good to take time, breathe and also take a giant step back from everything.  Look at things from another perspective and be able to see more than you were able to before.  This helps a lot, in the ability to see how far one has come; versus how far they have to go.  
Nobody has the right to judge us; although many will try.  People tend to let their failures not only define them, but cause them to try and bring others down as well.  Talk about toxic... Still, one needs to remain focused, not obsessed or engulfed in; just focused on the goal.  It is so easy for a person to beat themselves up about making progress or getting to a certain "point"; where they might feel as if they have reached some milestone.  Funny thing is - we are only in competition with ourselves, for it is the only thing we can truly measure and not compare.  Stick to your guns; do not let anybody steal your dreams, just because they are not brave enough to try themselves.  Let the naysayers go on; critics are the ones who lack the ability to do it themselves, so they should not prevent others.  
Most important: never, ever give up.  The end result; no matter how far it may seem, will be worth everything drop we put into it.  It will not be easy; there will be pain, stress, fear; all of that is temporary.  Working hard to achieve what we want; whether in a home, relationship or career, requires a lot of work.  There is no sitting back and "hoping" things will work out.  Do not be afraid to take baby steps; it is far better than doing nothing at all.

(ツ)there is always time for kindness...♡

Plato said it best: "always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle."  It has been a long transition for me; in the last 2 years.  I have also been able to grow and learn from everything.  With that comes a lot of knowledge.  Knowledge about the way I think,live, love and the person I strive to be.  One of the greatest assets in this process, is kindness. Towards everyone and especially towards myself.  I have learned not to judge anybody, ever; for I know not what they have endured or are enduring.  No person has the right to judge anyone; unless they have walked the same path - exactly the same path - as that person. This allows for kindness through mutual understanding and even helps with conflict resolution.  Still, even I need to be reminded sometimes & I am grateful, because it means that I am still learning.  There is always time for kindness, as this post is titled; we can give a smile or even hold the door for somebody & it is as simple as that.  Even in the the rushed, harried world; not unlike stopping to smell the roses, there is always time for kindness.
Remember that next time you have the opportunity to be kind.  I t can change some body's day - especially yours!!  It gives back and you will see that you don't look for the rewards, but you feel them automatically.  It dramatically improves life, being kind, it creates wonderful things.  Be kind, there is always time for it and there is always time to be kind to ourselves, too.

Good To Reflect

Today felt like a day that would serve me well to reflect a little.  Thinking about life, where I am, where I would like to be and everything in between.  Being in a committed relationship, for example; means it does not just affect me.  That goes without saying.  
I start by reminding myself how fortunate I am and just simply being grateful.  Then, I look at how full my life is & that I share it with my best friend.  I tend to even pull positive experiences from the negative; as to keep focus on the good.  Even though it might sound a bit cliche,  I do look for the positive; whether it is a lesson, or anything else that can be used in a positive way.   
In thinking about where I am right now in my life, I am in a good place.  I am making progress and continuing to grow every single day.  I am grateful for all of the lessons in my life so far; especially within the last 2-3 years.  Even if a day starts out bad, I have been practicing turn those days around and making them good days.  After everything is said and done; every day above ground is a good day! I will check in again really soon!

Making Progress...

One thing that comes to mind when changing things about ourselves: progress.  You see, it's progress the reminds where we started; and it's progress that also shows us just how far we've come.
This is, in no way "patting oneself on the back"; but acknowledging the distance covered from the starting point, until the present day.  It's a way to look at what we started with and what we have now; not measured by material things, but by actually looking at our progress.  It's a great way to find new hope and overcome frustration.  It's also shedding light on solutions and not the problems.  

Priorities

Checking in for 2012 & Hoping everybody has had a wonderful New Year so far.

Recently, I have been learning to have better awareness about what is a priority and what is not.  That may sound strange to some, but they don't live in my world.  By that, I mean living with an attention deficit makes it increasingly challenging for me to prioritize.  I use lists & phones & calendars.  It helps, but I still need to put the lists in order & not necessarily an "OCD" way; just so I can know what is most important.  This is something I have just begun to work on.  This was sparked by my recent distractions; especially when I have things that are more important, can wait to be addressed & especially giving my attention to my significant other.  Now, I have made a lot of progress in the last few years, but I am still learning; as I always say.
There is certainly nothing wrong with waiting to answer certain emails, tweets, Facebook; what have you.  That was a work issue (emails) that I learned to stop:  answering right away, when it was not necessary.  I need to apply that on all levels & I think that will help a lot.  Each day, I do a little more towards correcting these things & also living a better life.

Actions, Not Words...

Behavior is an interesting thing. It is like a living image of our sub-conscious mind without a filter. It is not always pretty. As any person, I tend to have made many mistakes in my life; but even more important than those mistakes: the behavior afterwards. Was I nasty, short or plain rude? Sometimes I was all 3 and worse. Short of allowing myself to become a complete asshole - yes - I have been using awareness to stop acting out and behaving like a spoiled 5 year old. You see, my behavior not only affects me; it affects all the people closest to me in my life. It's unfair to lash out at somebody because I am not properly handling my emotions or worse - letting the emotions handle me. That's a real no-no & goes against everything I have learned. Imagine how I feel after each time I still allowed it to happen. Yes, it was not good. Slowly now, I am doing my best to regain the reigns and keep both feet firmly on the ground again. Breathing, writing things down, blogging, talking & even taking a quiet sort-of time out, to regain my composure. All these things will help release the tension and give way to clearer thinking. Still, I am learning and each day I learn a little bit more about my own behavior; because I am the one who is responsible for it. So, it is my job to act accordingly and without acting like a spoiled child, or worse. That's where I'm at today.

Learning Life Lessons

Even though I have been lucky enough to see and learn many things; I am still far from educated when it comes to life lessons. Relationships have never been my strong suit; because of choices I have made in my past, I ended up in a few painful ones. Still, I tried to take whatever lesson that I could. There were many things I was not aware of and is wasn't making mistakes at all, just learning to be aware so they don't happen again. I find myself once again learning and this time my goal is to not only keep improving my awareness; but to use it every day. There have been in the last 6-7 months so many things to learn from. Now that I live with somebody & her daughter; biggest challenge was not living alone and in "David world", as it was put to me. Still, I am learning to be mindful of others and also watch my own behavior. It's not very fair to bring unnecessary drama into a house that is a happy place. Here is where the awareness will be key. To recognize and stop the drama. Stop the tension and the repercussions from happening. Nobody ever said it would be easy; so I take each day and try to live it the right way. Love is a wonderful thing; as are kindness and compassion. However, nobody should have to sit and take being mistreated; and by the same right - nobody should have the right to mistreat anybody. That being said, things should be on an even keel and again, nobody said it would be easy. But I'm learning life lessons, every day I learn something new.