“People only see what they are prepared to see.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

So ask yourself: “What kind of life am I actively looking for?“

(Note: This post was originally used as one of the messages for my Fearless, Focused Friday campaign. If you’re not already getting the F-F-F messages, you should consider subscribing now. They’re free – and worth every penny!)

(This post comes from the archives of my other site PowerOfMortality.com. I originally wrote it on Feb 13, 2008.)

photo by creativesam

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. The day where we go all out to celebrate our love for one another. Love will fill the air!

But don’t worry, on February 15th, we can all go back to normal!

I wouldn’t call myself jaded, but I’m always perplexed by our society’s need to set aside a special day to honor things that we should be constantly honoring.

• Do you only express your love on February 14th?
• Do you only cherish your marriage on your anniversary?
• Do you only celebrate someone’s life on their birthday?
• Do you only honor your mother on Mother’s Day? Your father on Father’s Day?

When we set aside these days, it can lead us to take things for granted the other 364 days of the year. This sort of thinking is exactly why so many people end up a funerals saying: “If only I had told them how much they meant to me.”

Years ago I wrote an article where I suggested that we replace the cliché “Carpe Diem” (Seize the day) with “Celebre Diem” or Celebrate the Day!

So go ahead and buy the chocolates and flowers tomorrow. But if you really want to show them how much they mean to you… do it next week too!

When I talk and write about Choosing The Life You Want, some people respond:

“But I can’t make changes now – I’m too old!”

Yeah.  Right.

You’re never too old to do something different! Especially if it’s something fun!  Just watch this…

photo by i dont make art anymore

Just because you’re hiding from something doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

In the past, (I’ll admit it) I’ve been guilty of trying to hide from my life. One of my favorite games of “hide and don’t seek” went like this:  “The bills aren’t really ‘valid’ until I open the envelope… so if I don’t open the envelope, I don’t owe any money!”  I KNOW I’m not the only one who’s ever played that game.

I have a friend who avoids going to the doctor for fear that they’ll find something wrong. “If I don’t go – then nothing’s wrong.”

Or what about this one: “I don’t want to discuss that issue, so if I just avoid it / deny it / get angry about it / cry about it / blame someone else for it, it will go away.”

It’s amazing the crazy notions that otherwise rational adults can come up with to avoid facing uncertainty, isn’t it?

The fact of the matter is that you simply can’t hide from your life.

• Financial issues
• Relationship issues
• Health issues

You can either face these, or face them. Yep!  There’s no other way.

However, make sure that you understand that there’s a BIG difference between facing issues and dwelling on them!

Facing your life as it really is, is a big part of embracing your life, which is just the first step in Choosing The Life You Want!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some envelopes to open.