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Category Archives: Inspiration

How to Pursue With Purpose . .

20 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in aging, Change, Character, Choices, Commitment, Discipline, Faith, Inspiration, Lessons, Life, Patience, Self-Control, Wisdom

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Some things come easily, we get what we want when we want it! Other things we desire and set as goals in our lives take some time and more effort to pursue. Often in that time, we find the pressing of effort, the impediment of challenges faced and the patience required to be taxing, so we want to give up. But if we want what we say we want, wouldn’t it be worth our hunkering down to find the extra go-for-it-muscles we have within us?

 

If we let go of our dreams because they’re proving hard to achieve, aren’t we also letting go of our chance to discover something great within and about ourselves? Don’t we then run the risk of not having something we value and esteem as worthwhile in our lives?? It’s rare to find great things and great results easily. Usually in life, the value and worth we assign to things is higher and given more to those things which require more effort, time, endurance and even cost in obtaining. But the reason we give them value higher than any other thing is exactly because we have realized for ourselves their measure to attain and to earn exceeds all others!  Were everything easy to have and to get, we would assess nothing as having any value or worth. It would all be rendered as cheap to us.

 

So it is with the pursuit of our goals. Were all our goals so easy to achieve and without any “cost” or effort to us, we would soon find nothing inspiring or excellent in their pursuit. It is only because we find something worthwhile, that we hunker down and pursue it with all of our ability, effort and patience! Next time you’re growing tired, while in pursimages courage 8uit of your goals and dreams, prior to giving up on the pursuit . . ask yourself this question: what did I find so valuable for my life in the first place upon achieving this goal? What was the perceived reward to me? If you still believe achieving a goal to be rewarding and having something to be valuable, then don’t quit on it regardless the effort, cost or time involved! Remember that it is only in those things which don’t come too easily or cheaply that value comes into your life! Worth is measured not by things which are first worthless to you – easy to have and readily available – but rather by those things which make you realize their worth in pursuit, effort and attainment! Don’t quit forever because quitting seems easier in a moment!

 
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Having FAITH!

17 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Confidence, Faith, God, Inspiration, Life, Patience, Positivity

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FaithABRHaving faith is one thing. But having FAITH is something altogether different. Real faith is standing in absolute belief regardless what is known or unknown at any particular time. In fact, most of what is unknown shouldn’t displace faith, in the way of fear, doubt, worry, anxiety or trying to do what isn’t within our ability to do. We’re faithful when we sit in our unknown, silent, uncertain, unsure, unimaginable, dark, mysterious and unresolved present. We mustn’t rely upon our prior experiences or what has happened in the past as certain evidence of that which remains hoped for and waited upon.

 

 Faith is like a tsunami of belief, which overcomes anything lingering and anything pending; it eliminates references to patterns from the past and ignores omens for the future. Faith isn’t what we call upon when we have a high probability that things will go as we expect, want, know or await. Faith is what we hold onto when Big-Data-tsunamiBeliefeverything seems glaringly in opposition to our very notion of belief. Faith is supported by God’s promises to us, which we find assured repeatedly in His Word. When we have knowledge of His Word, we have proof of His desires, His heart and His will for our lives.

 

Having FAITH is believing in God and His will. And it is in referencing the Word where we learn how to discern our will from His. He plants seeds of dreams within us, often then asking us to faithfully await the outcome of those dreams through His working in us and around us in our lives. Faith is what we require when one of many of our dreams has yet come to fruition, or when life seems difficult. And we’re always growing, changing, developing and imparting on some leg of our life’s journey towards new dreams; often times, we’re turning corners as a means of making corrections for poor choices or enhanced wisdom in our lives.

 

With faith, we persevere. With faith, we stand strong regardless how hard or long things take; or how little patience we might seem to have at any one moment. Faith pushes us through our impatience, beyond our perceived inability and long past our sense of what is possible! Faith opens the infinite doors of this world to us individually, so that our lives become limitless and unscripted surprises filled with potential and promise! Faith is the key. With just a little faith, we can sort of imagine plenty; but with a lot of faith, we can realize the unimaginable and endless potential as well as all the promise that life holds!

 

Faith002-50Master faith, regardless how easy it becomes to let the past talk you down the mountains you want to climb. Practice faith, in spite of how hard life becomes while you’re waiting for your dreams to come to fruition! Don’t quit on that which God plants in your life. If He plants the seeds of dreams within you, trust Him to give you the ways and means to make those things come to reality! Have faith, oodles of it! Faith is affirming your belief in God, His will and His ability, not yours!

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Making Goals Into Reality . .

08 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Character, Choices, Commitment, Inspiration, Lessons, Opportunity, Positivity

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PlusWorkSometimes we’re so set on the end result and the defining goals we wish to achieve, that we forget to celebrate the significant steps we accomplish in pursuit! And when we fail to notice the progress we’re making along the way, we might choose to give up, thinking we’re never going to reach that target – whatever it may be! Learning to appraise our progress, even if it seems insignificant in comparison to the overall goal we’ve set, can help us to stay motivated and purposefully committed to staying the course! You may not run the whole length in your first attempt at the track, but one day you will! You may not finish the book you’re writing the day you begin the first chapter, but one day you will! You might not have lost all the weight you want to yet, but what you’ve lost means there’s less to lose! You may not have reached the position which you believe you deserve yet, but working hard in the position you now hold will probably get you closer! All goals can seem a bit overwhelming when we view them in their entirety. Breaking each of our goals up into stages which can be measured and evaluated while in pursuit, enables you to bite off bits of the whole all while nibbling away at the goal in total! You learn to view being successful in part as motivational and inspiring; rather than seeing your goals as such vast and unfinished failures in the making as a result! 
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Gratitude Bests Regret . .

01 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Gratitude, Happiness, Inspiration, Joy, Lessons, Opportunity, Positivity

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WhatYouDoTodayAll too often we don’t know or remember to be grateful for something, some state of our being or some condition of our lives until it’s gone! Only then do we lament its passing, as we took that state or condition for granted just a bit. Perhaps we got so used to it, that we just assumed it would be that way easily or assuredly forever. It surely happens when people leave our lives; their loss leaves us with a gaping hole where they once filled our hearts, our minds and our presence. But it is also that way with circumstances, situations and conditions. We might find that one day we no longer are in the same job, or have the same house, or perhaps that our health suddenly takes a turn; and although these changes are not as hard upon us as the loss of a dear soul whom we love, we still are reminded by our lamenting what has changed. We should have probably felt more grateful for what we had when we had it! That is life.

Trying to live it without regret means we must try harder to live it now with gratitude!  An attitude of gratitude compels us to not only experience all that we can with expectancy, but to appreciate for some reason all that comes our way! Take, for instance, the woman who laments in some manner the body she has when she is younger, as so many young women are prone to do! She may not fully learn to love, accept and appreciate the body she has now, wanting some other physical characteristic which she doesn’t have. She may torment herself, wishing things could be different. She may wish to be thinner, taller, prettier, etc.; but in later years perhaps she will come to realize that those conditions were not so bad after all when she experiences changes in her body as a result of aging, illness or some accident. We all do that to some extent; but we are cheating ourselves out of today’s joy by not loving and appreciating things as they are!

Gratitude is our appreciation for all of our life; our consideration that we are blessed just as we are, the way things AttitudeOf-50are! Gratitude enfolds us and envelopes us in acceptance and surrender, to that which is and also to that which isn’t. It develops by way of purposeful habit into a state of contentment and peace; no matter the circumstances, situations, or conditions. Living in that manner surely enhances each day now; but it also lessens the chances for regretting what is past, as well as easing fears over what is yet to be. Our wholeness in being depends upon focusing upon the present with gratitude regardless the experience, conditions, circumstances and situations. It is only in gratitude that we can realize how much we already have within us and around us!  

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Constant Sunshine . .

13 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Inspiration, Positivity

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SmileySun001-2-25Positivity!!!……I woke up today minding a bit that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. These last few days I was supposed to be up north in the cool pines. It was another getaway, and I enjoy getaways during the summer months! Things happen which often make us alter our plans because we must; and so I’m here. I was just thinking though this morning upon awakening that I should be waking up someplace else, where …I’m not. So my remedy for this slight disappointment is to focus on the positive things which I can draw from my days here instead!

 

I saw a movie I might not have seen. I got to have lunch with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while. I had a nice phone conversation catching up and sharing some plans with another friend, whom I’ve wanted to collaborate with for some time now; all which might not have been possible were I spending my night last night with friends up north. I’ve enjoyed milder temps here in the Valley, enjoying the less searing heat. I got to appreciate the moon from the familiar vantage point of my own place. It all worked out perhaps as it was meant to . . and I surely am endeavoring to make the best of my days even if they’re not going as first planned! Sometime within the next few weeks is more than enough time to go again.

 

I’m learning that the secret to any situation is to find within it everything for which there is to be grateful! When you choose to see the blessings, even in what seems errant or unwelcome, you provide for yourself an ability to see beyond the disappointments, the inconveniences, the dramas and even the painful realities. This for me surely qualified as just a disappointment, but in looking for the positives in the slight letdown, I am able to turn my eyes towards the proverbial constant sunshine with rosy sunglasses on!

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Its A Chance For Discovery…

29 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Character, Choices, Ethics, Faith, Fullness, Gentleness, Happiness, Inspiration, Integrity, Joy, Kindness, Life, Love, Wisdom

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Remember today as you go out into the world of discovery, that some souls might be fragile, heartbroken, saddened in grief, feeling fear or suffering in some other way. Inside, they may be impacted by events in which we haven’t any knowledge or awareness, nor for which we see any obvious signs externally. We might not know exactly what others are enduring, but we can be compassionate in our journey, kind in our steps thus giving others respect, patience, our love & our best first so that if they’re suffering in some way, we seem to them to be safe waters in their already stormy lives.

I remember the days right after my father died unexpectedly so many years ago . . I was feeling so vulnerable and broken that I felt I was operating at a different speed than the rest of the world, into which I had to venture out routinely, especially since it was fairly close to Christmas. But when I encountered – amidst the busy-ness and frenetic pace – kind people with loving hearts and gentle smiles, I felt somehow safer and less fragile.Being kind, compassionate, gentle, patient and loving isn’t always easy and sometimes seems in opposition to the events of our day and perhaps even our moods as a result, but we truly never know what others are enduring! We should endeavor to give the world our best for one day it might be us who needs theirs in return.                                                                         kindpeoplearebest

We should endeavor to give the world our best for one day it might be us who needs theirs in return. And we should try to see and to believe the best of others because we don’t know their full story. What might seem standoffish to us, may be someone trying to hold themselves together for the sake of not breaking down!s fragile. Being kind, compassionate, gentle, patient and loving isn’t always easy and sometimes seems in opposition to the events of our day and perhaps even our moods as a result, but we truly never know what others are enduring!

fruit-of-the-spirit_25These are the fruits of our spirit from Galatians 5:22-23, nine things in which we already are amply endowed, may we practice them today and everyday when we meet one another as strangers or even as friends: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

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Deep-Water Living . .

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Character, Choices, Commitment, Confidence, Courage, Growing, Inspiration, Lessons, Life

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Deep-Water Living

Deep-Water Living

So many people choose to live their lives in the shallow waters, never venturing out deeper where  faith, hope,love, commitment, courage, growth, challenge & everything that pushes a human to live as more are found. Going further & deeper helps us to grow up.  But it’s as if some feel more comfortable without the weight of too much emotion, the increasing burdens often fraught in real human entanglements & the messiness of growing up. They want to have fun, to enjoy life, to focus all their energy on whatever it is that brings them money, fame, power, joy or some other outer-body measure sans the hassle of going deeper & further. So they choose to make a life without any challenge to their spirit or soul. They learn to live so singularly for themselves that they don’t even see those choices, that reticent need to stay comfortably where they are & to not grow up, as narcissistic, selfish & self-involved. If we don’t allow ourselves to claim responsibility for our own messes, to feel for others compassionately, to entangle ourselves in the messes of life & to grow up through the challenges we have opportunity to take on, we never become much of anything in the world but an aging shell of a human being. As the noted poet Maya Angelou has said: “Most people don’t grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.” Human beings are called upon to develop, not just physically, but also to mature emotionally & spiritually. What a shame to be so one-dimensional that we might focus all our energy on just staying happily in the shallow waters, never venturing out to where the real challenges of life might take us nor appreciating that great strength when we do find it in ourselves or when we see it in others! Taking the easy way isn’t necessarily taking the best way. And often times, staying where we’re comfortable means we miss more of what we could never even imagine in the way of true joy, inner peace & burgeoning self-esteem!

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The Ascending Ladder of Life . .

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Character, Choices, Conquering Fear, Courage, Inspiration, Strength

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All of life is like rungs on an ascending ladder meant to carry you to the level where you are now, with some rungs representing life events & choices below & some infinite number yet above you. That is how it works, the events & choices we make carry meaning, either positive & negative, causing our reactions & actions. We either let ourselves be defined by something positive which occurred  and resulted in  ascending the rungs to the next level, or we let our circumstances & the inherent negativity within them, take us into a descent.
Some people have allowed life to beat them down after so much perceived negativity or uncertainty that they believe themselves to have risen no higher than where they first started. Or worse, they choose to stay off the ladder! Their attitude has no altitude, so they as well no longer take any risks by climbing up any higher. Others have been knocked down a few times, or often even, but always consider their goals & dreams for this life to be worth taking that risk of falling or failure! They may have even been shaken off their ladder from a great height, falling flat & hitting rock bottom, but they still desire the heights at the top, so they continue to climb!
Each of us has to determine our own will, our own fearlessness & our own endurance for climbing. But life IS an uphill climb, it is always ascending, that is a given & that is our challenge to take! How we contend with it all, our attitudes & our ability to control our own emotions determines the pace of our ascent & our final altitude upon life’s completion. We might prefer the ground level, we may enjoy some place in between, but we should remember our abilities are limitless, we are meant to challenge ourselves to reach great & unexpected heights by reaching the clouds! Often times though, what we deem acceptable is merely our fear, our worry, or our tired-out will doing our thinking for us!
ladder-of-life50Ladders take us higher than the places upon which we can stand while on the ground, they serve a purpose in lifting us up, in helping us to see new vistas & perceiving  new points of view. You are only assured of that when you face your fear.  Step up willingly onto each new rung, risking the falls but continuing to climb! You were meant to see each new rung not as something dire, but as a step towards your destiny! Enjoy the climb, for as Jack discovered when he ascended the beanstalk – although there are challenges & fears which must be met upon the way, the only place  to find the magic beans is up!!
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Leading Others With Your Light . .

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Commitment, Faith, Inspiration, Lessons, Life

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ThisLittleLight-50Leading others with your light is of the utmost importance. It’s not as important that the messages of faith be heard as it is to see the great joy in the heart of the messengers, those of us who believe! Our profound love, our faithful twinkle, all our souls & spirits alive with the light of God! We believers can do ourselves great disservice when we insist in adhering to the letter of the “law” as we know it rather than being lighthouses o
f guidance through our own example! It’s not nearly as important to be “right” as it is righteous. If we flounder, that is not such a big deal for we know our Lord forgives us, so we need to forgive ourselves, forgive others & let acceptance again replace our disdain. If we stumble in our walk, we need to just keep asking for guidance in our journey, as we know not what He that created us SeeGodInYou-25does, we are inherently walking in darkness & uncertainty. We need to let Him lead us like the sun leads the world, then we need to be bastions of that light for others who are lost or uncertain. That means walking in profound faith, with expectation & joyful contentment in His promises! Actions speak louder than words! We are the His examples while we walk this earth, for He has truly risen!
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Cheryl Ries-Author & Model

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