lifes challanges Archives

Great Opportunity or Impossible Situation?

Posted by Ellen Sichel on November 10, 2011

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations- Charles Swindoll

When I look back at what I considered to be my most difficult times, I realize that those experiences propelled me to change and grow.

It seems to take impossible situations to make us take a look at our lives and reevaluate our priorities.

It is much easier to see things in hindsight then while we are in the middle of the experience. It could take years to see how we or others have developed from past experiences.

Look at those in your life who have had a positive impact on you and you will find that they have become the person they are from all of their life experiences, including painful situations.

There is great freedom when we can clearly see the shift that occurred and to focus on the synchronicity in life.

Let me know in the comments below if you can see how a difficult situation has shaped who you are today. See if you can look for the synchronicity of past experiences and let me know how they affected you.

5 Steps to an Attitude of Gratitude

Posted by Ellen Sichel on May 27, 2011

"I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work and my God" – Helen Keller

Helen Keller had unimaginable obstacles to overcome in her life, and her attitude is inspiring.

Gratitude for the challenges in life is difficult for many of us to understand. We tend to look at the things that have been painful having a negative impact on us. Everything we experience in life impacts who we become and our day to day living.

Many of the most inspiring people in our lives had to endure major hurdles.

Try this:

Take a moment and think about something that was difficult for you to overcome.
Notice the event without imposing any judgments or emotional charge. Simply look at it as an observer.
Now with the same observation, look at how you live your life now.
Find one thing about yourself that might not have emerged if the early event did not happen.
Take a few breaths, focusing on that awareness.

When you do this exploration invite your mind to remain in the moment, and you can gain some insight into the positive gifts you received and how it shaped your perceptions, activities, spiritual path, and relationships.

Let me know in the comments below what you discovered. If you could not think of anything, let me know what got in the way.

Tags: gratitude, insight, lifes challanges, mind, moment, perceptions, relationships, spiritual path

Posted in: A Calm Perspective