Monday, October 19, 2009

THE DIFFERENCE LIES IN THE CHOICES WE MAKE

We all get the same stuff in life. I'm referring to those things which make us happy, cry, angry, love, lose, succeed, bitter, foolish, brilliant, or just downright stupid. Because you and I are the same. You may not fancy the green bitter gourd I eat but you have your own idiosyncrasies about food like a peanut butter and mustard sandwich. I like walking boots anywhere I go and you like dark leather jackets in rain or sunny weather. I like soft soothing music to calm my hassled nerves at night while you like the loud ear-screeching sounds of an electric guitar to wake you up mornings. I guess we can put up with all that because we know that we're so much different with each other as we are so much the same. 

But in things which matter in the course of trying to live a life the best we can, it would be wise to pay attention to certain things. We all aim for happiness and success. But to get there in the best possible time and in top form we must learn what or where we should put our emphasis or attention. Why? It’s because so many things could and would encroach on our territory thereby taking us off the track or derailing us from our goal. But we can do something about that. 

If our emphasis is on ...
...hard work, responsibility, determination, excellence, persistence, consistency, accountability, knowledge, self-confidence, respect, hope, faith, the willingness to learn, the ability to bounce back from a disappointment or failure, and the passion and love for doing what is right --we will get there no matter the road we take or challenges we face. If we put in our best effort into our goals, the universe can do no other but grant our heart's desires.
On the other hand, if we engage in ....
--lackadaisical effort, are content with mediocrity, are lazy, can't leave our comfort zones, can't make commitments, resent authority, prone to moods of procrastination, evade responsibility, and would opt for the shorter easier (yet not always the smarter) way to do things--we won't get there, that's certain. We'll simply end up as miserable as we started - Perhaps twice as miserable. To this the universe will simply say to us -- 'Buddy, you've got a problem.'

Both kinds of activity use up the same hours, days, weeks, years and energy put into it. What would make the huge difference is on deciding which road we would choose to travel -- the road to joy or the road to misery. The choice is solely ours to make.
"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable,or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." ---- Carlos Castaneda


 

28 comments:

  1. Dear Ellen,
    NAMASTE!
    I'm happy reading your posts,
    They enrich me with moral values,
    The inspiring thoughts make life meaningful,
    And we can make the world a better place to live in.
    Sharing n caring for each other,
    Loving n letting others live,
    Let us prove,life is beautiful!
    keep writing ,dear!you're doing a great job!A BIG GOD BLESS YOU!
    wishing you a peaceful night,
    sasneham,
    anu

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  2. Dear Anu,

    Delighted to see you again :-) Thank you for your lovely message. These are beautiful lines from you -- "...Sharing n caring for each other,
    Loving n letting others live,
    Let us prove,life is beautiful! ..." Thank you for sharing this.

    Take care. God bless.
    Ellen

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  3. Hi Ellen.

    have to find your place first before i'd comment back on your comment in my last post.

    read your latest post here and i am very sure that you really are a person who wants the better things in life, you know what your goals are, your preferences and what directions you would really take.

    dunno how old are you but you spoke volumes in your posts, a well seasoned woman i am very sure.

    i admire also how you write and it shows so much sense and lessons to live by.

    well Ellen, from now on, I'll be a regular follower of yours, and would bookmark you in my space.

    and am happy to find a fellow filipino over blogville.

    have a great weekend Ellen...:)

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  4. Hello Amity!

    Delighted to see you here. :-) Also pleasantly surprised but love it! Lols you'll know more bout me in the blog 'In Retrospect'. Hope to see you there soon. :-)

    Take care. May God bless you and your family with everything good in life.

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  5. Truer words were never spoken! I love the way you look at life Ellen and I agree with you. This is also my outlook on everything I do!
    Love Di

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  6. Hi Diana,

    Love it to see you here! :-) Nice to know that we share some things in common despite our great distance apart. Take care, my new friend. God bless you.

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  7. very nice post..I just loved it, I also think the same way..I will be a regular here:)

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  8. I love it when you said that both kinds of activities require the same level of effort and time-that's so true!!!
    Awesome post.

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  9. Hi Antarman,

    Welcome to my place. Delighted to see you. :-) ...so much glad that we share the same insights on the matter. I have gone to your blog and saw your recent post too.. that was good. :-) See you around. God bless!

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  10. Hi Nahl,

    Such great pleasure to see you here again. Thank you and for your wonderful message. :-) By the way, saw your recent post.. that was interesting. Left message there for you. :-) Take care; God bless you.

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  11. Hi Ellen,
    I just came across your blog, the thoughts that you've expressed are beautiful:) Wish you all the very best, would love to come again!
    Sana

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  12. Hi Sana,

    Oh this is good seeing you! Glad you came. Thank you for liking the piece and for your lovely message. Have gone to your blog too and found it very interesting. I like its simplicity of expression and writing style. Left message there for you. Take care and God bless!

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  13. Hello you,
    check my blog, Personal Relations. I have a little something for you there! :)

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  14. That was such a huge and pleasant surprise, Nahl. Thank you, so honored and delighted by it. Yup, gonna have it on my page. Thanks again!

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  15. Dear Ellen,
    Thanks for the lovely comment and for liking my blog.
    It would indeed be a pleasure to follow your posts in future.
    Much love,
    Sana

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  16. Words of wisdom. I feel elevated...:) Thanks Ellen!

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  17. Hi Sana,

    The pleasure is mine too.
    Thanks a ton for visiting.
    Always have looked forward to it.

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  18. So glad to see you, Destiny's Child! By the way, is your real name on your blog.. or have I simply missed it? I would be pleased to call you by your first name, if that's alright with you. :-)

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  19. Hi! Ellen,

    That was a nice little class from you,seemed like a training session on personality development, first time to your blog,loved it,definitely worth for one to move further in life... thanks :)

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  20. Hi RD,

    Welcome to my place! Glad that you enjoyed the piece. By the way, been to your blog too and left message there. :-) Thanks for your visit. Blessings to you and your family.

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  21. thank you soo much for this post! i honestly need to change the path i am...the result that i want will not come from the path i am on currently.
    I love the quote you've used in the end!

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  22. Hi Nahl,

    It's courage to contemplate change or changing one's path. Wisdom is in pursuing it with one's acquired understanding that change does not put an end to dreams, rather it nurtures that dream to fulfillment.

    I wish you the best of luck and God's blessings for a good journey.

    Take care. :-)

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  23. aww such an inspirational post:) first time on your blog ,will definetly be back for more:)

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  24. WELCOME SMrithi / Vintage Obsession!

    Glad you are here! thank you for liking the blog. I shall be looking forward to see you again soon. Take care and God bless you and your family.

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  25. Visiting from another blog. You have a real knack for words!

    Blessings,
    Debby

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  26. Welcome to the blog, Deb!! :-) And thank you for liking the piece.

    Am following your blog 'Heavenly Humor'. Love it! Saw your recent post and left message there for you.

    Wish you a lovely day and week. May God send you wonderful blessings to last you a lifetime.

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  27. This blog is sweet! A thought I had reading this, even when we console ourselves with wisdom and philosophy as we all do trying to find answers or explanations, even just doing that becomes a kind of poetry of it's own, that figuring out. Just when I write journals it's all muddled, lol. But I believe we can weave some kind of dictionary of life, or posts that summarise things.

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  28. Welcome to my blog, Zubyre! Nice that you could take time off from your poems and drop by. Wonderful insights you have put down. Thanks for sharing. :-) Hope you're having a lovely day. Take care and God bless you and your loved ones.

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