Anything is Possible

I go to a church every Sunday, where I am reminded every week, it is a place where… “Everyone is welcome, Anything is possible, Nobody is perfect, and Love is lived out.”

I like this message.

…every part of it!

I don’t know about you, but I need to be regularly reminded I am not alone in this world.

…and there’s no need to feel on the outside looking in.

If I ever feel alone, and on the outside looking in, I know it is a sign.

It is a sign I need to get connected - whether with family, or with friends, or with a church, or with a book club, or with any of a large number of vocational, social, or religious, or other groups, of which there are plenty.

I don’t have to feel left out.

There is always a space and a place for me, where I will be welcome.

I also need to be regularly reminded to look beyond both my current circumstances and my past achievements.

Despite the limitations, failures, and disappointments of my life, I do not have failure written all over me.

I may not have many of the markers of success people have at my age, or with my background.

But I am a hard worker, and have been a contributing human being, putting what I have to good use, whether time or talents or humor or stories or knowledge or values or wisdom.

That’s good enough for me.

Nobody is perfect.

Finally, I am grateful to be reminded on a weekly basis that I should be hopeful about the future.

Even if I feel I do not have enough on my side, whether background, or smarts, or connections, or experience, or even time, I am reminded to continue to think positively, and act positively.

I am reminded to continue believing that doors will open for me.

And life can take a wonderful turn.

Anything is possible.

When I came to America, I was a single parent with an 11 month old.

I could not drive.

I could not cook.

I had limited computer skills.

I knew how to write advertising copy, which as it turned out, could not land me a job.

Was I doomed?

No!

Witness the ‘Anything is possible’ principle in action.

I learned to drive.

I learned to cook.

I acquired basic computer skills.

Anything is possible.

And doors opened for me.

It was a series of doors, actually.

I got a part time receptionist job.

Then I got a 6 month contract marketing assistant job.

Then I got a 3 month contract admin assistant job.

This led the way for me to get my first permanent admin assistant job.

The next door that opened for me was for a job I did not have the skills for.

It was also a job I had never heard of.

It was called a Commissions Analyst.

The job involved working with a whole lot of numbers, using Microsoft Excel.

I barely knew Microsoft Excel.

I was filled with doubt and anxiety, even as I reluctantly said yes to it.

But anything is possible.

With a couple of months of training from my manager, I was off and running in this new job.

Anything is possible.

Anything is possible.

When I look back, it is a thread that has run through my life.

With no background as an entrepreneur, I started my own creative hot shop.

With no background in stocks, I became a successful investor.

With no health insurance and nothing but internet searches, I reined in my pre-diabetes.

With just a servant’s heart and a service heart, I became a full time freelancer doing short term commissions analyst projects for companies.

We have what it takes to move through life’s challenges.

Because anything is possible.

So have faith in yourself.

Have faith in your fellow travelers.

And have faith a door will open for you.

Because it's true...

Anything is possible!

The Secret to Good Relationships - Tuning In

Let’s talk about radio stations.

If you want to listen to the KFOG radio station, you have to tune in to the frequency of the KFOG radio station.

107.7.

You can't tune in to the frequency of the KBAY radio station and expect to hear the KFOG radio station.

KBAY music plays on the KBAY radio station.

So if you tune in to the frequency of the KBAY radio station, you will hear the music played by KBAY.

So now how is this related to dealing with the significant people in your life?

You need to tune in to the station of anyone who is significant to you, so you can really hear them.

But what happens if you don't like the music that's being played on their station?

This is where the problem arises.

You don't like the music that's playing on their station.

What's more, you may not be able to escape it - living under the same roof, or having to deal with them day in and day out.

So you decide the next best thing is to just tune it out.

Block out whatever they say as best you can.

Using tools like your imagination.

While this is a coping tool, it's not a solving tool.

It would be nice if you could say to the people in your life, ”Hey I don't like what you are playing on your radio station; can you play this instead?”

But of course, that's wishful thinking.

It's never going to be as simple as that.

If you do that, it will only make things worse.

So the same thing goes on and on.

And maybe you continue to do what you have always done - try to tune things out.

You can live a whole lifetime like this - with nothing changing.

And with profound dissatisfaction on all sides.

If you desire to have a meaningful, caring, and more easy-going relationship, no two questions about it...

You have to tune in.

If the dial is stuck,  you may be tempted to use your developed reflex to tune out and block out whatever you do not like.

But really, you should consider using your alone time as reflection time.

And come up with a strategy to replace “blocking out” with “tuning in”.

Tuning in might be to ask someone, "What are your thoughts right now?"

Or, "What would you like to do right now?"

Or, “What is bothering you the most right now?”

Or, “How can I make things easier for you?"

Or, "Why do you think that?"

Life gets more challenging for everyone as we go along.

Life gets more challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Tuning in may mean acknowledging the increased physical, mental, and emotional challenges the people in your life face.

And doing what you can to alleviate them.

Tuning in many also mean acknowledging the small things that bother other people.

Sometimes what's small to you may be significant to someone else.

We are all different.

The most successful relationships are those where both people are tuned in.

How can you  craft and implement the right “tune in” strategy today?