Oftentimes it can feel like things are going wrong. Like something isn’t right. Like you are behind in life, or your goals seem so far away.

Have you ever felt this way?

As a fellow human, I know the feeling. But what keeps me in the process is knowing and believing that I am exactly where I need to be.

Whether you believe in the universe, God, source, destiny, or some infinite potential, know that there is no place other than the present moment. You are here, in this moment, living, breathing, existing. Cherish that.

Every Path is Correct

Think of the people who achieved great success at odd points in their lives: JK Rowling, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, amongst many others. Do you think JK Rowling, when she was a divorced single mother, whose manuscript was rejected by publishers right and left, was at the wrong place? In hindsight, we can see she was exactly where she needed to be in order to tap into the immense success that was awaiting her! So why do you believe you are any different?

Lessons and Contrast

Sometimes we are presented with situations that feel uncomfortable or less-than-ideal. This also happens for a reason. These situations present us with an opportunity to either learn a lesson we need in order to reach the next level, or it shows us what we don’t want so that we gain more clarity about what we DO want.

Something Better

If you ever feel like you just aren’t getting what you want, or that you are still so far away from your desired goals, remember: You are exactly where you need to be. What we can’t see is that sometimes the goals we choose for ourselves are not ultimately what is best for us.

Maybe you want your dream job in a Fortune 500 or your childhood crush to ask you out. But, what if the universe has something ten times better? What if the universe has a multi-million business in store for you or your true soulmate waiting around the corner? Trust that you are in the right place at the right time because something much greater for you is in store. Know that it will show up for you at exactly the right time, even if you cannot imagine what it might be right now.

Drop the Struggle

The best thing when you accept and appreciate that you are exactly where you need to be is that you drop the struggle. When you drop the struggle of feeling behind and of trying to change your path, you open yourself up to the opportunities that are meant for you.

If you keep struggling to get interviews for your Fortune 500 job, constantly get rejected, and engage in low vibrational thoughts like “I’m not good enough” or “why not me”, you might miss any other opportunities right in front of you. But if you accept that you are exactly on the right path, you’ll be more relaxed, optimistic, and open. So, when a friend mentions a business idea, you might try it out and find more success than you could ever imagine!

When you feel doubt creep up, put your hand in your heart and calm yourself down. Repeat this affirmation to yourself throughout the day if need be. Look into the mirror and tell yourself, “I am exactly where I need to be.” Remind yourself that everything is according to as it should be, and you aren’t behind, slow, or stuck. You are learning lessons that you need to succeed in the next level, you are gaining the experience that will take you to the next level, and you are building character that is going to help you manage at the next level.

The 2006 movie, The Departed, is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film, Internal Affairs. There are also some elements in it that are based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang. A variation of this quote is spoken by the character, Oliver Queenan (played by Martin Sheen) when speaking to Billy Costigan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio).

In the beginning of the movie, DiCaprio’s character wants to become a Massachusetts State Cop. During his interview, he is told that he is way too smart to be a cop. They see DiCaprio’s character as having much more potential than just being a statie. There is also an added bonus of him understanding the criminal world because he comes from a family of criminals. They go on to say that they want someone who is capable of deceiving others, but not themselves.

DiCaprio ends up fulfilling his need to be a cop, by going undercover, becoming a criminal and infiltrating Matt Damon’s crew.

But the lesson in this quote is that the most dangerous form of deception is self-deception. Self-awareness is the opposite of self-deception. And personal growth is depends on self-awareness.

When are deceived by someone else, it is against our will. We are more susceptible to seeing the red flags and signs of being betrayed or deceived when it is coming from someone else. But with self-deception, we not only resist seeing the deception, but we also collude with it against ourselves. We want to believe the deception. We will deny or rationalize any information that opposes what we want to believe. We lie to ourselves and make ourselves believe something that is or isn’t true. And the crazy thing is, we mislead ourselves about various things all the time.

Here’s a great example. In the series Breaking Bad, Marie refuses to admit that she is a shoplifter. Throughout the series, she convinces herself that there is nothing wrong with what she does and refuses to see it as a problem. She just doesn’t see herself as a shoplifter.

Even when her sister discovers what she does, it takes her awhile to admit it and say she is sorry. And even after that, she goes back to deceiving herself about what she does and continues to do it. Even when caught stealing, she will not admit it. 

Have you ever gotten bad news, had a heated argument with a loved one, or had a bad day at work and taken a walk in nature to instantly feel better?

No matter how advanced we get in our modern world with technology, nature will always have an invaluable effect on us. After all, we human beings are one with nature; we come from the earth and return back to it.

For me, immersing myself in nature, even if only for a few minutes, seems to help my mind reset. Which makes sense since nature has a way of healing, soothing, and restoring us. It nurtures us in ways that we can just scratch the surface of.

How Can Spending Time in Nature Nurture Your Soul?

Boosts Your Mood

Spending time in nature is extremely beneficial for your physical health, but also your mental health. Multiple studies have shown a correlation between improved mental health and walks in nature. In fact, according to one study in Finland, spending just 15 minutes sitting in nature helped people feel psychologically restored.

Heals You Physically

Human beings are a part of nature. Thus, when we immerse ourselves in nature, we can actually heal ourselves. Various elements of nature, like trees, plants, and water, can help reduce physical pain and discomfort.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Exposure to nature can reduce unpleasant feelings of anger, fear, and stress.

Being in nature, or even just looking at pictures of nature, can help you feel better emotionally and reduce your blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Numerous research in hospitals, offices, and schools shows that just placing a simple plant in a room indoors can have a tremendous positive effect on stress and anxiety.

So the next time you feel stressed at work, take a quick walk outside and notice how much better you feel!

Strengthens Your Spirit

When someone goes out into nature, we are energized not just physically or mentally, but emotionally and spiritually as well. Just being in nature helps us recalibrate to our internal peace, our inner guidance, and quiet the noise to the world to hear our soul’s voice.

Gives You a New Perspective

Because nature has the beautiful effect of calming our anxious, ever-thinking minds, when we go outside, we are able to see things more clearly. Suddenly difficulties that seemed momentous don’t seem so relevant anymore. Simple solutions appear for problems that once seemed unsolvable. Ego battles, arguments, and misunderstandings suddenly appear to be slight misunderstandings that can easily be forgiven.

We all know that fresh air is good for us; however, sometimes we overlook just how good it can be for us. Nature has immense healing benefits for not only our physical but our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. When you find yourself lost in the hustle-bustle of the 21st century world, running against time, feeling stressed and irritated, and drowning in a thousand problems, try going outside in nature. Whether you go for a 10-minute walk around your neighborhood or take a vacation to a cottage in the woods for the weekend, you will return much more refreshed, relaxed, and rejuvenated, ready to tackle the challenges of modern-day life again.

When life is running smoothly and things are going well for you, it’s easy to feel good and keep a positive disposition. But when life gets stormy and unpredictable, it’s also easy to get swept along on a current of negativity and spiral out of control emotionally. As many people do, you might find yourself attempting to “calm the storm,” by trying to control the people and circumstances around you, which is usually a fruitless effort that only adds to your frustration. The truth is, you have very little control over those people and circumstances, but you have 100% control over how you choose to respond.

An approach that usually works much better is to keep yourself as calm as possible, no matter what is going on around you. Let go of any impulse to control people and events, and instead breathe deeply and bring your attention to the stillness within you.

Say the word, “calm,” or “still,” several times, and keep your attention focused within yourself. You will notice that within just a few minutes your muscles will start to relax, your heart rate slows down, and any feelings of fear, worry, frustration or anger that you were experiencing will start to calm down.

When you first begin practicing with this technique, your peaceful feelings may only last for a few minutes before the chaos and negativity begins to affect you again. But if you will keep practicing bringing yourself back to an inner state of calm, you will be able to hold it for longer each time you do it. Eventually, it will become second nature and will be able to shift into peacefulness instantly and remain in that state much of the time, no matter how turbulent your surroundings may be at any given moment.

Interestingly, you will also start to notice that the calmer you are, it also has a calming effect on the people and events around you. Often, just keeping yourself in a grounded, non-reactionary state will allow the storm to blow over with no real harm done. You may notice that other people will become less aggressive and less inclined to argue or make unreasonable demands from you. Even situations that are quite turbulent or complex can often be smoothed out quickly if you stay centered and peaceful.

Best of all, your state of inner calm unlocks the door to all kinds of opportunities and solutions that can help make the situation better, even sometimes without you needing to do anything at all. Obstacles dissolve, difficult people spontaneously decide to move on, and circumstances improve, sometimes virtually overnight. If any situations do require your intervention, holding yourself in a state of calm will allow you to receive the right ideas and opportunities to make changes with very little fuss or strain required.

Regardless of how the solutions show up, you will be able to see a clear and obvious correlation between your state of inner serenity and the way everything and everyone in your environment responds to you differently because of it.

The truth can hurt sometimes, but it is usually less destructive than lies. Maybe you have previously been in a situation where you felt uncomfortable speaking your truth, either because you didn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, or because you were afraid that they would ridicule or disagree with you. While withholding your truth may seem like the best way to avoid conflict, it does nothing to serve you or others.

You may have noticed that some people have made a habit of being easily offended. If your religious beliefs, political views, lifestyle, or anything else does not perfectly match with their own, they feel compelled to complain or convince you that you are wrong for being different. If you are a person who prefers to avoid conflict, you might be tempted to conceal your truth, or at least soften it somewhat, for the sake of keeping the peace.

The problem with doing this is that it reinforces the other person’s perception that they are right and you are wrong, and they will come to believe even more strongly that they have the right to decide how you should be living your life. As uncomfortable as it may be at first, standing your ground is important, even if they aren’t happy about it.

However, there are ways to do this peacefully, without getting drawn into pointless arguments. You can state your position calmly yet firmly, or you can simply live your life in a way that works best for you and ignore any negative commentary from others. When it comes right down to it, you don’t owe anyone explanations, and you certainly do not need to defend your choices to anyone. Eventually, they will see that they are unable to change your mind, and they will find something else to complain about.

If the idea of standing your ground makes you feel uneasy, it could be that you have not yet fully accepted yourself for who you are, so there is a lack of confidence in expressing that to others. In that case, you may want to spend some time each day getting more comfortable with who you really are, including your viewpoints, your beliefs, your lifestyle preferences, and everything that makes you unique.

Practice self-appreciation by strengthening your sense of worthiness and highlighting your positive characteristics. Make lists of things that you appreciate about yourself and read them often. Practice positive self-talk whenever possible and keep making the choice to be more authentic in everything you do.

Most importantly, keep reminding yourself that you are a conscious being who has a unique perspective to share, just like everyone else on the planet. Say to yourself frequently, “My truth is valid, and I express it easily and confidently.” Imagine being so firmly grounded and centered that you need no external validation from others. Imagine standing your ground calmly and being completely unaffected by anything that others say or do. As you continue strengthening your self-belief, you should notice that it also gets easier for you to express your truth to other people, regardless of whether they agree or disagree.

Chocolate ice cream or an apple for dessert? Waking up early and hitting the gym or sleeping in? Taking the stairs or taking the elevator?

On average, human beings make about 35,000 conscious decisions every day. 35,000! From small choices like what to eat to bigger decisions like what career path to follow, we are constantly bombarded by choices. Some choices are easier than others. And some are more tempting than others.

Have you ever had to choose between something you knew was the right decision and something that felt easier? Procrastinating versus getting to work is a common one.

But, oftentimes the right path is not the easiest one; the right path is wrought with its own challenges and struggles.

Sacrifices

You’ve probably heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Whenever you make a decision, you sacrifice something. If you decide to eat a salad, you sacrifice a lunch that will satisfy your carb cravings. If you decide to say yes to a job opportunity, you sacrifice the chance to lay in bed and watch Netflix.

Hence, you have to be prepared for sacrifice. In certain situations, like the ones mentioned earlier, doing the right thing – like being healthy or earning money to support yourself – can mean you sacrifice what feels better in the moment.

What Do You Value?

Sometimes we have to choose between two things that we want. For example, we might have to sacrifice a relationship for a job promotion. Or we might have to sacrifice a job promotion that means a lot of travel for the sake of our family. In either case, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ path. The right path for you depends on you. What do you value? What is important to you? Do you value relationships? Or do you value success?

Caring For Others

Another aspect of the right path is doing the morally right thing. For example, it is easier to steal than to work for your own money, right? But it isn’t right.

Similarly, consider what impact your decision will have on others. Leaving your partner for a job opportunity across the world doesn’t have to be morally wrong, but what effect will it have on him or her? What have you already committed to your partner? It’s important to stay true to your word, even when it isn’t easy.

Self-Discipline

Another aspect of what people many consider the ‘right path’ is being disciplined. Discipline is hardly ‘easy’, but it is one of those things that get easier as you practice it. At first, discipline can be tremendously challenging. But as you become more disciplined every day, even in small ways like giving up just one out of five sugary treats in a day, it gets easier to be more disciplined in other areas of your life, too.

Emotionally Difficult

Sometimes the right path for you means you have to do difficult things. Difficult things don’t always mean something that requires a lot of physical or mental energy. Sometimes, it is difficult to say no. Or, it can be difficult to leave a toxic relationship. It can also be difficult to set boundaries with a hurtful family member. However, you have to do the hard thing if you want to grow and evolve.

Sometimes the right path for you, the one that will help you reach your goals and create the life you want to live, is difficult. But perhaps it is right because it is difficult; as you overcome each challenge, you grow and evolve into a better and stronger person. You always have a choice: to take the easy path or the more difficult one. While you may not know where either one will take you, you can always be sure that the difficult one will leave you wiser and stronger.

Do you ever dream of an amazing future where you have achieved all your goals? You have a fit body, you are traveling the world, you have a loving family, you are challenging yourself and working on yourself everyday, and you are getting better, stronger, happier?

While it is nice to think about your dream future, a vital element of creating that future is often missed. The truth is the secret of your dream future is hidden in your daily routine. For many of us, we tend to put off creating the future we want for later. But in that process, we become strangely loyal to performing mindless, daily tasks until ultimately we become enslaved by them.

So, if your future depends on your daily habits, take a moment to consider what future you are creating for yourself. What does your day look like right now, and is it leading you to the future you want? If you could only live the same day for the rest of your life, would you be happy with it? What would you change?

Make a Commitment

Commit to what you want in the future.

Daily changes over a long term are what move the needle.

Want to lose weight? Diet is 80% of success with weight loss, so prep meals you won’t get sick of so you can stick with it. Get outside and go for a walk, even if it’s only for a few minutes every day.

Want to learn a new skill? Practice it every day.

Want to become a best-selling author? Write every day.

Creating your future isn’t a one-time thing; you have to commit to taking consistent action on a daily basis.

Get Out of Autopilot

We live on autopilot, hence what I said earlier about becoming strangely loyal to performing mindless, daily tasks. This helps us save energy. However, is this conducive to creating the life you want and living intentionally?

The problem with living on autopilot is that you end up doing the same thing every day, whether it serves you or not. Often, we end up putting our goals and dreams on the backburner, as we go about our daily lives, go to work, come home, eat, sleep, and repeat.

In order to create a life you love, consider what your daily routine is. What are your default choices? What do you automatically do when you come home from work? When you get tired or hungry, what’s your default choice? Every decision in your daily life makes a difference.

Motivation is Unreliable

Have you ever set New Year Resolutions with great enthusiasm, only to fall off the wagon after the third day and wait till the next year to start again? That’s a classic example of what happens when we let our motivation dictate our actions.

You cannot wait to be motivated or rely on motivation. Motivation is fleeting; it comes and goes. It’s easy to get up and take action when we are excited and motivated. However, the real test comes when we don’t feel motivated.

Instead of waiting for motivation to take action, take action and watch your motivation build. Be disciplined; don’t wait for how you feel. If you set a goal, just do it, without thinking or feeling. We often think that we can’t achieve certain goals or that our future is so far away. However, your future lies in your daily routine. When you design your daily life in a way that is satisfying and balanced, you’ll realize that what you once dreamed of in the future is now a current reality of your present.

Last month I talked about The Goonies. In the same speech I referenced last month, Mickey also reminds his friends that “it’s our time down here” while they are looking for One-Eyed Willy’s treasure. Some of his friends are thinking about abandoning the hunt for the treasure. Mikey gives a speech about how this is the last shot they have at changing the course of their future.

There’s a lot we can learn from Mikey’s speech. At this point in the story, the Goonies are at a crossroads. They can continue an adventure that is a bit dangerous and uncertain. It might yield great financial reward, but it might not. Worst case scenario, they don’t find the treasure, but their last weekend together is filled with unforgettable adventure.

Or they can go up Troy’s bucket, be brought up to safety and their adventure ends. Their parents lose their homes, and the friends are separated.

Mikey inspires his friends to think about all that can go right, rather than what can go wrong while on their adventure. He reminds them of all that they have to lose, should they go up Troy’s bucket. He unites them together, because he knows together, they are stronger. And most importantly, he highlights what the real purpose is of finding this treasure. It is to save their homes. To help their families. And continue to grow up together. It’s not to be rich.