“Every day, in our ordinary daily life, the Universe presents us with opportunities for growth. Most of the time these opportunities are small – how to temper our impatience in the line at the grocery check-out, or remembering to stop and reflect on the beauty of the sky as we are walking to an activity.
But sometimes, our simple interactions with the conditions of daily living can be life-changing.
Whether it is confronting painful truths about how our behaviors are impacting the quality of our lives, or reaping the joy of a successful habit change, every time we take a moment to understand what is happening and make an alteration in our course, we have used this discomfort or pain or bliss to assist us on our path of becoming a better human being.
To me, this is what life’s journey is about. Understanding that everything we encounter every moment of every day is occurring so that we can learn to move forward because of, or despite our life circumstances.
Life is not going to magically get better when outer circumstances change. Life is going to expand beyond all expectations by beginning to accept that every circumstance presented can be seen as an opportunity for change.
In order to respond to life’s challenges, we are well served when we can muster the courage to stay open to the experience.
It is natural human behavior to respond to painful experiences by closing our hearts, by using the experience to reinforce our belief that life is unfair, or we are destined to be unhappy, or we are somehow ‘not good enough’ for good things to come our way.
If we can walk our minds away from old self-limiting thought patterns that close us down, and instead change the mind-channel to a station where we can see things with new vision fostered by an open heart, our growth potential becomes unlimited.
Every time we are successful at opening instead of closing, we are building up our reserves of courage and strength to face all the challenges that come our way.
Every day presents opportunities for growth. Growth can occur when we allow our hearts to stay open.”
Sharon Fernandes
