Stepping Stones or Stumbling Blocks

Life brings you many experiences, some of which may be good and some which are not so good. Your perception of these experiences will determine whether you look at these as stepping stones to a better you or as stumbling blocks which hold you back. It’s not about life being fair or just, it’s about learning and growing from your experiences.

There is an ebb and flow to life. The balance of life comes from the contrast of good and bad, ying and yang. The bad experiences give you what you don’t want, which helps you clarify what you DO want.

Life is Not Perfect

Life is not perfect, you all recognize that. Yet many times you place such emphasis on the mistakes that it holds you back from becoming more. These become stumbling blocks in your journey of awareness and growth. You hold feelings of unworthiness and doubt, which eats away at your self-confidence. Recognizing and accepting that mistakes occur will negate these feelings.

Releasing these feelings is key to your overall well being. Find a trusted friend to talk to about your thoughts. Make sure it’s someone who won’t make you feel guilty or ashamed because of what has happened. No judgments here, just a sounding board.

Stumbling Blocks

There are two ways to look at the world: the benevolent way or the malevolent way. When you look at life as being malevolent, you stay stuck in victim mode, believing that life is full of problems, totally unfair and bad. With this, you end up expecting the worse and that’s exactly what you get! You feel as if there is nothing you can do to change your circumstances so you don’t even try. Your expectations are fulfilled ten fold.

Stepping Stones

On the other hand, when you see life through a benevolent set of eyes, opportunities are everywhere. You believe that life is full of happiness, success and joy. You approach life with optimism and cheerfulness, excited to see what new experiences will occur. You expect everything to turn out for the best and that’s exactly what you get! You know that this will have a positive impact on life. Your expectations are fulfilled ten fold.

Choices

Hmmmm, did you see a correlation here? A common theme presented between both ways of looking at life? No matter which way life is perceived, more of that is always brought into your existence. Brings home the point that YOU have the choice of what your thoughts are and how you live your life. According to statistics, 70 % of all decisions you make will be wrong. Eye-opening, isn’t it! So what can you do to make the most of your life with this being the case?

Valuable Lesson

Recognize that every problem or challenge in life has been sent to you at this moment to help you, to teach you something valuable. Become the kind of person who welcomes obstacles and setbacks as stepping stones to your success.

Know When to Walk Away

There are some instances where stepping away from your mistakes is vital. Know when to stop repeating the same experience over and over again. If the same issues keep happening, go in another direction! Make some changes in your life.

Learn From Them

It’s an essential skill to learn from your mistakes. The quicker you apply that learning, the quicker you will become a creator of your life. If you don’t learn it the first time, it keeps coming back to you until you do learn it. If you’ve ever had this happen, you know that each time a learning experience reoccurs it’s stronger to get your attention. Better to be aware of it and learn the first time around!

Don’t allow circumstances to rule your decisions. Become an active participant in the direction your life is heading. Take those potential stumbling blocks and use them as stepping stones to greater success in your future.

“If a mistake is not a stepping stone, it is a mistake.”
Eli Siegel