Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold. Maurice Setter
For almost all of us, counting our blessings is tough because our focus is on what we covet and we take for granted what we have. In such a scenario each day brings more frustrations than good cheer because when one of our wants is fulfilled we have a list of 10 more about which we are disappointed that they are not fulfilled. In the process our outlook towards life is tinted by the dark shades of yearning, the blurred hues of wanting and the mist of greed and temptations. What we then see is a big cloud of woes that seem endless, perennial and ominous. Even the silver lining around that cloud seems to be illusionary for we are now seeking miracles and magic to shower us with our coveted bliss.
All of us would want a stress free, happy and contended life which we are equally certain is unrealistic to be really true. In our naïve way though, we seek out those who laugh more, have more riches and those who seem carefree and then spend the rest of our lives wondering why we cannot be the same. What we fail to see is the positive attitude of these people, the struggles and trails they have overcome and the self belief that propels them to achieve whatever they have achieved. It is possible that these peoples life story would reveal much more than what meets our eyes. Many have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat whilst others just kept pegging away and slowly inched towards their goals. The bottom line is that every one of them has had to weather the storm and dark clouds that threatened them sometime but they were able to see the sliver lining and pursued that relentlessly.
Every difficulty is actually an opportunity for us to grasp but we end up seeing every opportunity as a difficulty we need to avoid. On the other and when we get opportunities we are forever seeing the negatives, the problems, the costs and the short term payoffs and then let go the opportunity as not suitable to us. It is like not buying a lottery ticket because the possibility of winning is very low and yet we pray that we win a lottery. What we have not grasped is that the probability of winning the jackpot is extremely low but there are chances of getting smaller rewards which we do not visualize because we are focused only on the jackpot. For less tangible opportunities like changing jobs, identifying a person to get married to or quitting a job to go to college the cloud of doubts are so ominous that vacillate between options and may miss the bus.
The solution lies in being more realistic about our expectations, more pragmatic about the reality and being bold enough to take decisions without getting the consequences weigh us down. Golden opportunities are far, few and in between and it is foolhardy to spend lifetime in search of it. On the other hand, when we see a glint of sliver in the horizon we must aim to grasp that with both arms and when we have hoarded sufficient silver we can always trade it for the gold that we aspire for. The notion that we can wait to make a killing in one swoop is tempting but we may waste a lifetime fruitlessly pursuing this dream.
Remember: “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” Charles R. Swindoll
Try this:
- Prepare a plan for your retirement. Can you outline what is the type of monthly income you would need after retirement and the quantum and type of investments you would have to make in order to achieve this objective. How easy or difficult was it for you to quantify the plan? What made the decision making difficult?
- Choose from one of these objectives that is pertinent to you and outline how you would go about attempting it.
- Changing your job/ profession/ diversifying your business
- Outline the requirements that your ideal life partner should fulfill
- Selecting a new hobby/ passion
- Your tangible contribution to encouraging green cover/ eco friendliness
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
You are also invited to visit our WEEKLY Inspirational and Motivational Blog www.poweract.blogspot.com
