"Resilience"

Resilience: n. the power of springing back; Figurative, the power of recovering readily; buoyancy; cheerfulness

Often in life there are circumstances and situations that occur that will have your head spinning. You wonder "What happened?", "Did I miss something?", "Who the hell are you?", and "How did I get here?"  It's often not easy to answer these and many other questions or to even assess the situation with a level head. We frequently go along in life just living, existing and not being fulfilled; then, you get sideswiped or knocked off your ass for you to get a wake up call. What is it that you need to spring back from, to recover from - the loss of a job, a broken marriage or relationship, the death of a loved one, insecurity, low self-esteem?
     Whatever IT is, know that you have the power within to be resilient.  Resiliency doesn't come from someone else, a job, a relationship, or things. It is a deep knowing from within that no matter what you've gone through in your life, YOU have the power to bounce back. I learned that myself, the hard way, but it was a lesson worth learning. Until next time.

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Confucious

"Hope"

Hope: n., v. - a feeling that what one desires will happen; syn. expectation, anticipation, optimism; the ground for expecting something desired; promise: to desire very much; to look with expectation

I recently read several articles concerning the outlook of the economy, jobs, and the housing market. When reading these articles, one cannot help but wonder when will all of this end, when will things get better for everyone. There has been several opinions, reports, and suggestions as to why things are the way they are, but I haven't heard the one thing that makes the difference-taking personal responsibility. When I look at taking personal responsibility for my life in whatever condition it may be in, it gives me hope that I can change what I don't like. My life is not controlled by someone else, (despite what we may think), it is controlled by my thoughts and actions.  Because of this I now have the hope I need to change my situation for the better.  Many people are hoping for things to get better, for circumstances and situations to turn around, but the greatest change is in thyself, where true hope lies. The hope that we are all seeking lies within and only then will things begin to get better.

"The important thing is not that we can live on hope alone, but that life is not worth living without it."                                                         Harvey Milk