Many people don't really understand the gift they have been given in their ability to be decisive. According to the dictionary, decisiveness means 'having the power or quality of settling a dispute, question, doubt, contest, event, etc.' How individuals use this power of decisiveness will strongly influence the quality of life that they experience.
Not long ago, I really began to understand how my decisions affect my life. My husband and I were going through a difficult time when he lost his job due to his company merging with another organization. I could have been optimistic about the situation, looking at it as a chance for him to get a better job. However, instead of looking at it in this manner, I experienced the situation as me being a helpless victim of life who was suffering some cruel injustice that I did not deserve. I complained about my circumstances to anyone who would listen. "Why was my life getting harder?" "Why were problems that I thought I had successfully overcome once again resurfacing?" I believed that life was totally unfair. I was having a great big pity party and I wasn't even having any fun. (Even peak performance experts sometimes forget the things they teach others and find themselves in the depths of despair.) Finally, as I sat in an advanced success class, the instructor must have gotten tired of hearing me complain and she bluntly told me that my life could be easier if I decided that it would be. I felt like I had been struck between the eyes with 2 by 4. I was more than slightly insulted by that comment and my first reaction was to get my things together at break time and go home.
However, the following morning a funny thing happened. As I thought about my teacher's comments, I decided that she was absolutely right. I decided to believe that my life would be easy and flowing with harmony, peace, joy and abundance. My pity party was over and I finally began to experience joy again. Actually, I began to get downright excited about all of the wonderful prospects in my life.
Why did I have such a tough time initially? It was because I believed that I had to react negatively to what was going on in my life, not realizing that by doing so, I was really deciding the course of my future. I thought that I should be disappointed, frustrated and scared because things were not going the way I thought they should. However, I now understand that my unconscious decision to respond to the situation negatively guaranteed that I would experience more of the same. I did not understand that I could make a firm decision to perceive the events in my life in a different way.
MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION
Many of us think we have no choice as to how to respond to life. But we absolutely do. Every response that we have is, in reality, a decision and the Law of Cause and Effect will make sure that we experience more of that decision in the future. The Law of Cause and Effect states that whatever we focus on (good or bad), we will attract into our lives. Don't be fooled by its seeming simplicity. This is an extremely powerful law that has a major impact on our lives.
I have decided to interpret everything that happens in my life as something positive and as evidence that greater good is coming into my life. Some people may think I am crazy and not being realistic. I don't care. When I interpret things the way any 'normal' person would (which means negatively), it prevents me from moving forward, it causes me to doubt myself, and I feel pessimistic about my future. I've had enough experience to know that when my thoughts are focused on the problems in my life, my mind is directing the Law of Cause and Effect to bring more of the same types of negative experiences into my life. Well, I am having none of that anymore, thank you very much. When I interpret things in a positive way, it makes me feel good and then my mind is focused on good and the Law of Cause and Effect will bring more good into my life . It sounds like a better plan to me. Besides, most of the time when we interpret a situation in a negative way, we are usually not being realistic, we blow things out of proportion, and we make them worse than they really are. If I am not going to be realistic about a situation anyway, I might as well do it so it empowers me. And that is exactly what I have decided to do.
WHAT DECISIONS ARE YOU MAKING?
The problem with decisiveness is that most of us do not really understand the extent to which we can make decisions in our lives. We may think we can make decisions about some things but not others. But that is not true. We can absolutely decide how we are going to experience life ? whether it will be a struggle or a joy. Sometimes we are so enmeshed in our unconscious negative choices that it takes enormous self-discipline to tell ourselves, "No. I have decided to experience this situation differently. I am not going to allow my thoughts to go back to places that I don't want." The Law of Cause and Effect will always cooperate with our choice and bring us whatever we decide.
Most of us are very strong in the decisions we make in some areas of our lives, but we don't assert our power in our thoughts. Think about a food that you really hate, something that you would not eat under any circumstances. If I put it in front of you and asked you to eat it, you would probably say, "No way. I am not eating that. Never in a million years." No problem making a firm decision in that situation. Well, why not assert that same firmness when it comes to negative thinking? When a negative thought comes to you, pretend it is that despised food being offered to you and say "No way. I am not allowing any of that into my mind." The law will respond to your decision and that thought will not find its way in.
THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF DECISIVENESS
Being decisive in how you will experience life is really very practical. A number of years ago, I was teaching a course in an urban area in New Jersey in a section that is infested with drug pushers, addicts, and others who are operating at the lowest levels of life. One night as I was getting ready to park my car, I heard a big commotion. When I turned to see what was happening, I saw a woman holding a knife with a ten-inch blade. She was menacingly close to some guy and she was yelling about how she was going to stab him with it. To say that I experienced a little fear is an understatement. My first thought was to stay in the car because if she noticed me, I might become sliced meat. Then I decided that I was not about to let my thoughts go in that direction. I also decided to know that everywhere I go peace, harmony, and security surround me. Immediately afterward, someone took the knife away from the woman and all was calm. The following night when I arrived to teach another class, the neighborhood was calm, peaceful and serene. As I walked into the place where the classes were held, one of the students told me that there had just been a big fight between some guys right in front of the building. It ended just before I arrived. I decided to experience peace and harmony wherever I go and the Law of Cause and Effect responded.
The Bible says, "You shall decide upon a thing and it shall be done unto you." We decide and the Law of Cause and Effect responds. Look at those areas of your life that are not working and make a different decision about them. You have an incredible power to live the life of your choosing. Just remember that the quality of our lives is truly whatever we decide.
About The Author
Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who inspires people to achieve greater success from the inside out. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers e-zine - send blank e-mail to della@dellamenechella.com.
tidy up service Winnetka ..There is no such thing as failure ? only feedback... Read More
Recently a great idea popped into my head about creating... Read More
Just in an average day we can experience many things... Read More
The universe is vast, it's dimensions inconceivable, it's potentialities unimaginable,... Read More
How you feel about yourself truly does affect your interaction... Read More
So...you might just believe I hide behind computers creating and... Read More
We all know them. We all have somebody like them... Read More
The easiest, most exciting adventure in consciousness follows the lamplit... Read More
Most of us love to think that our problems are... Read More
ARE YOU IN... OR OUT?Are you in or out of... Read More
The Alchemists of old worked over many years, centuries, in... Read More
Are you completely happy in your life right now? Honestly?... Read More
"Work on your career and you'll make a living. Work... Read More
If we are the products of our attitudes then it... Read More
This week I happened to catch a few minutes of... Read More
The way to define your personality is to refine your... Read More
The image you hold of yourself determines your success or... Read More
What I mean of course is, to appreciate life through... Read More
We all have a unique way of communicating our story,... Read More
The infamous "glass ceiling" is blamed for business issues for... Read More
If you suffer with or have in the past suffered... Read More
Change your attitude, change your lifeIn my experiences, I've found... Read More
Can you really plan a life-changing experience, or do they... Read More
Bernard always had a problem with money.He was always lacking... Read More
If your life is difficult--if it's challenging, exasperating, and vexatious--... Read More
kitchen deep cleaning Lake Forest ..The language we use programs our brains. Mastering our language... Read More
One of the first things that I work on with... Read More
"The knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foresight."You... Read More
Our attitude makes seems to control just about everything about... Read More
Just in an average day we can experience many things... Read More
Recently, a lady came to see me and she had... Read More
In frustration it's easy to jump to false conclusions that... Read More
Never used 'em. Not likely to start now.OK, so I... Read More
Being a mom can take a toll on your body,... Read More
The infamous "glass ceiling" is blamed for business issues for... Read More
Let's say you're ready to change some aspect of your... Read More
I started life writing in the fifth grade. My mother... Read More
There are always explanations for why things to you or... Read More
The power of positive thoughts to affect one's experience of... Read More
Have you ever dreaded an upcoming presentation, meeting or function... Read More
Question: "It's only three months. Or six months. Or a... Read More
Think for a moment about all of the signals people... Read More
What are you holding onto? Wanta quit?There are many things... Read More
The other day I bought an unusual piece of software:... Read More
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude... Read More
It took me a long time to realise the benefits... Read More
We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for... Read More
Everyone of us has the potential to successfully more through... Read More
This week's wisdom is on the power of living in... Read More
Quote of the week:"Of all the attitudes we can acquire,... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |