What are you thinking at the moment?

[Cricket]

Life is what you choose to make it.

[pctec]

I choose to make it rich and sexy

[Julie]

Good choice.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by pctec

I choose to make it rich and sexy

Have you ever read a book by Zig Ziglar, called, See You At The Top?

[megamoose]

Originally Posted by Cricket

Life is what you choose to make it.

What if something else choses how your life will be Cricket? What if your country is run bny a dictator which disables you from having your own choices?

If only life was what we make it, then my question would never need to be raised

Mark

[pctec]

No Cricket, I have not... Whats it about?

[Cricket]

You cannot change what life throws at you. However, you are the only one with control of how you choose to respond to those things. Following is an excerpt from an article posted on one of my blogs ...

Sometimes we become so focused on the doors that have closed in our lives that we neglect to turn around and see a brand-new door that has opened wide for us to explore.

It takes strength of character and sometimes just plain ‘ole willpower, but one of the surest ways to success is to turn our focus on those things that we must be grateful for in life. We cannot dwell on what we do not have or on the could have been’s. We must begin to cherish those things we have and develop our personal strengths to become the person that we want to be. God grant me the serenity. . .

This is one of the reasons that you hear me preach over and over again about reading the motivational book, See You At The Top. It helps you to understand that you cannot control the things that happen to you, but YOU get to decide how you RESPOND to those things.

The most powerful feeling of all, is the day you realize YOU have complete control over your life. YOU are the one who has complete control of your happiness. I am a firm believer that happiness is not something that happens to you. I believe it is a DECISION that you make.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by pctec

No Cricket, I have not... Whats it about?

I started reading Zig's work more than 25 years ago and never stopped. It is really about choosing to take control of your life instead of going through life wondering what if things would have been different...

You can find his work anywhere without spending much. Often it will even be in your local public library or on eBay for just a few bucks. Although he has a ton of books, tapes, etc., my personal favorite has always been, See You At The Top.

[pctec]

I'll make note and take a look for it

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by megamoose

What if something else choses how your life will be Cricket? What if your country is run bny a dictator which disables you from having your own choices? If only life was what we make it, then my question would never need to be raised.

But it is a matter of what you choose to make it.

I have never personally known someone facing the challenges of living in an oppressed country.

However, I do know of a woman, who was in an emotionally abusive and violent marriage. She spent many years under the complete control of her husband. She did not make a single move without his approval. Often, in the early years, before he seemingly broke her spirit, he locked her in the home, from the outside. Many women in that situation will eventually die of the never-ending violence. Others will one day snap and kill their captor.

The woman that I am talking about though, suddenly chose to take control of her life despite the possible consequences. One day, when he least expected it, she found the courage to walk away. Today she is highly successful, but the happiness she has found was not a matter of the financial success. The happiness was a sense of peace and tranquility that she found inside herself. She found this inside herself only when she chose to take complete control of how she responded to the challenges that life places in her path.

[megamoose]

Originally Posted by Cricket

But it is a matter of what you choose to make it.

I have never personally known someone facing the challenges of living in an oppressed country.

However, I do know of a woman, who was in an emotionally abusive and violent marriage. She spent many years under the complete control of her husband. She did not make a single move without his approval. Often, in the early years, before he seemingly broke her spirit, he locked her in the home, from the outside. Many women in that situation will eventually die of the never-ending violence. Others will one day snap and kill their captor.

The woman that I am talking about though, suddenly chose to take control of her life despite the possible consequences. One day, when he least expected it, she found the courage to walk away. Today she is highly successful, but the happiness she has found was not a matter of the financial success. The happiness was a sense of peace and tranquility that she found inside herself. She found this inside herself only when she chose to take complete control of how she responded to the challenges that life places in her path.

I'm really pleased to hear that your friend has got away from that violent relationship. Like others (hopefully the majority of people) I think there should be no violence in a relationship.

About the point I made, maybe I can relate to it a bit. If your friend had never been born then she would never have had to have all that pain and suffering. No matter what happens she will have had to live through that and will never forget what she went through. Even though she is now successful if she had never been born she would have no need/want to be successful, and would save a lot of pain in the process. All the pain she's gone through has probably only left her with a low percentage of the happyness she now feels.

You work and work and work for your happyness, and normally it takes more pain and you get returned in pleasure. What's the point in working so hard for something so small?

Just hypothetical though. I'm sure now she's very happy and is glad she is alive. Hopefully whatI said isn't offensive.....

Mark

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by megamoose

No matter what happens she will have had to live through that and will never forget what she went through.

Certainly she will never forget...
But, she is stronger today because of it. No challenge is too big for her to face head on.

Originally Posted by megamoose

Even though she is now successful if she had never been born she would have no need/want to be successful, and would save a lot of pain in the process.

But then she would have never experienced the pure joy she experiences every day now, just watching the sun come up over the hills, and seeing the smiles on her grandbabies faces.

[megamoose]

Originally Posted by Cricket

Certainly she will never forget...
But, she is stronger today because of it. No challenge is too big for her to face head on.



But then she would have never experienced the pure joy she experiences every day now, just watching the sun come up over the hills, and seeing the smiles on her grandbabies faces.

Well I guess it's great that she can see things that way. However if someone had never been born then they would not have the want/need to enjoy anything. Gawd knows what I think. (I'm not depressed or anything, just have a lot of random thoughts ) But sometimes I think maybe no pain and suffering is better than a little pleasure.

Mark

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by megamoose

But sometimes I think maybe no pain and suffering is better than a little pleasure.

Just a random though here...

I wonder if maybe mothers understand this better because they have experienced childbirth. No matter how much pain they endure during childbirth, the very moment they hand you your child, every last second suddenly becomes worth it.

For me personally, I would not be willing to give up the joy to prevent the pain. Every day brings me new reasons to feel very blessed to have this life.

[megamoose]

Originally Posted by Cricket

Just a random though here...

I wonder if maybe mothers understand this better because they have experienced childbirth. No matter how much pain they endure during childbirth, the very moment they hand you your child, every last second suddenly becomes worth it.

For me personally, I would not be willing to give up the joy to prevent the pain. Every day brings me new reasons to feel very blessed to have this life.

I think women in general can understand things better, not just mothers. Men are just confused

I really don't know what I'd do. Obviously I wouldn't kill myself because I do like somethings in life adn I know it would hurt a lot of people but if I had an option to have never been born, image all the of stresses of life I'd never have to go through. I don't know if I'd accept or not. I'll die of natural cause one day so whats all this life thing about?

Mark

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by megamoose

... if I had an option to have never been born, image all the of stresses of life I'd never have to go through. I don't know if I'd accept or not. I'll die of natural cause one day so whats all this life thing about?

I think maybe it is something that happens inside someone. Consider athletes in the Olympics. Certainly it would be easier not to work out day in and day out to reach their goals. I mean why would they want to put themselves through that, knowing that they may very well fail? Wouldn't it make far more sense not to try at all? If they choose not to try out for the Olympics then they never have to risk failure, right?

Fortunately they have an absolute burning desire to push themselves to the absolute limits to find out what they are made of. In the end, I find it hard to believe that many wish they had never given it everything they had, even those who go home without the medal. If they gave all they had to give and they did so with honor, then they all go home as winners.

[megamoose]

Originally Posted by Cricket

I think maybe it is something that happens inside someone. Consider athletes in the Olympics. Certainly it would be easier not to work out day in and day out to reach their goals. I mean why would they want to put themselves through that, knowing that they may very well fail? Wouldn't it make far more sense not to try at all? If they choose not to try out for the Olympics then they never have to risk failure, right?

Fortunately they have an absolute burning desire to push themselves to the absolute limits to find out what they are made of. In the end, I find it hard to believe that many wish they had never given it everything they had, even those who go home without the medal. If they gave all they had to give and they did so with honor, then they all go home as winners.

Good point. I guess I just have a hard time understanding whats the point of it all. Well now you know what I was thinking at that moment

Nice ltitle chat we had there Mayeb I've learnt something (I Hope)

Mark

[Atom]

Originally Posted by megamoose

But guys, if none of us had ever been bornthen we wouldn't want the pleasures in life. Nothing would matter. ...Mark

How do you know this?

[Julie]

If none of us had been born, just think of all the other lives you have touched in your own life... remember It's a Wonderful Life?

[megamoose]

Originally Posted by Atom

How do you know this?

How do you not? How can you feel something when you have never existed?

Mark