Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

It never ceases to amaze me how obtuse we can really be. Oh, believe me, I include myself in that statement.

I can look back on my life and see all the signs--all the clues and hints to suggest that I was destined to be a writer and to coach people on the path to success and true happiness--and I totally missed them.

Or ignored them.

Or convinced myself I'd better "get a real job."

And now it's all come full-circle. I went down the "real job" role, corporate junior exec and all that. And I felt empty, dissatisfied, taken for granted. Which prompted a soul-searching trip, which led me to leave my job and live my dreams. Which brings me to today. Like I said, full-circle.

Often I think we ignore signs as opposed to missing them. WE have millions of excuses why we can't succeed at this or that. Why we SHOULD be doing something else. Why it will never work. Why it's not the right time. Why we should wait. Why we should want something else, or just settle for what we've already got.

I hope you realize these are all just excuses. They're just stories you made up, that you tell yourself over and over until you start to believe them. You have the potential to soar beyond your greatest dreams, and I'm not just blowing smoke here. Look around, there are clues EVERYWHERE in your life. They will continue to surface until you start listenting to them.

Yesterday I came across an article I wrote years ago. I was very involved with my youth group, even as an advisor in my late teens and early 20s. In fact (I had forgotten this fact) I used to write a "Deep Thoughts" column for our monthly newsletter. Apart from far too many exclamation points, I think it's not bad. The message is of course, spot-on even today (although I seem to have forgotten to take my own advice for a few years between then and now). This is what I wrote at the tender age of about 20:

The Less I Try to Be Happy, the Better off I Am
By Amy Scott, circa 1993

At a prayer meeting last month, we discovered the secret of happiness. Just in case you weren't there, I'll share it with you RIGHT NOW. Get it? No? Well, maybe you understand NOW. Still confused? Well, if you thought you had it, you don't anymore and if you think you'll get it, you probably won't. The secret is RIGHT NOW. That's right! The way to be happy is to LIVE IN THE PRESENT.

When we get wrapped up in the past (regretting things we did or didn't do), we are unhappy because we know we can't change the past. When we get caught up in the future (worrying about what will happen to us, where we will go, how a relationship will go) we are not happy because we are afraid of the unknown.

It's important to make every moment the best it can be--there will never be another today! Focus on what is happening RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW (all the time) and be your best. Start RIGHT NOW!

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My question for you today is this:

What clues are you ignoring? What would you do if you weren't afraid?