Captain Your Ship

Some people believe in coincidence, others believe in divine intervention while others believe in karma and some just believe in chance and luck. Yet there are a few stalwarts out there that still believe, ”you get out of it what you put in to it”. That our lives are more of a result of what we practice and how we live than the influence of external forces.
I do believe that external forces do play a part in everyone’s life. Admittedly there are just some aspects of life that we have very little control over. Aside from these, your day to day existence is pretty much controlled by you. We each chart a course for our respective ships and go about guiding our ship to its destination.
People need to stop the delusional thinking that life is going to be smooth sailing. That there will not be the occasional storm, the patch of bumpy road or even ship wreck! Our existence alone does not come with a guarantee of being able to live unencumbered by the foibles of our own condition. We need to realize that perfection and paradise as we define them will not be granted to us solely on the basis of our ability to cogitate on such whimsical notions.

With that said here are some buoys I would like to share with you that often help me see and reflect on life’s odd circumstances in a more balanced way.
· If the road is bumpy keep driving. Stopping and bitching about the bumpy road does not get you to your destination any faster.
· Sometimes we ship wreck. Yeah it sucks when it happens. If you can walk away rejoice in that fact! Look at what happened and learn from it. Build a new ship and continue on your journey.
· Only one person can drive at a time. You alone are captain of your ship. It will go where you direct it.
· Day dreaming of clear skies and calm waters during a storm will get you killed. It’s good to have goals and it is even better to envision yourself achieving those goals however do not let that distract you from what is in front of you right now.
· I am the captain of my ship! You are directly responsible for what happens in your life. If you give control away or choose not to provide direction for your life that is your decision. Apart from being hijacked there is no reason why you cannot successfully navigate the waters.

We all have tough times, each and every one of us. I do not get it right all of the time and shit happens to me too. When it does I do not like it anymore than the next person. I too find it painful and inconvenient. Regardless of how you describe it, it sucks, it can be painful, unfair or unjust you must maintain with a fervor your vigilance to overcoming small and great obstacles. Hunker down and roll with it. Look inward for your strength and let what shines through be not a just a light that others will see but let it be your lighthouse by which you are guided as you navigate the seas of life.

Just to digress for a moment. Kudos to lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5675010/the-danger-of-the-dream-job-delusion?skyline=true&s=i
“This is where the dream job trope becomes dangerous. The more you’re bombarded with messages promoting the dream job path to happiness, the more likely you are to ossify your view of the working world into normal boring jobs vs. exciting dream jobs. Once you’ve made this division, you’re much less likely to start investing the hard, unsexy, longterm work into your current career needed to grow it into something deeply fulfilling. You’ll instead save this mental energy for your vague day dreams of starting a small town wine store or teaching surfing in Cabo.”

Life is what we make of it. Create a masterpiece my friends!

I Built the Pyramids

Having successfully moved a large projection television from my basement to another room located on the main floor of my home by myself you can imagine my elation when I was done. My success was two fold. First I moved an object that weighs more than I do a vertical distance of about 10 feet. Secondly I didn’t break the object, injure myself or damage my home. As Ice Cube would say, “it was a good day”.

My post move celebration, chest pounding and colorful trash talking led me to say the following, “I built the Pyramids and I conquered Rome.”

Of course not literally but it truly made me appreciate that I and we can achieve anything that we set our minds and spirit to.