Many times, we look at people who have already accomplished great things and think, when is that going to be me. We obsess over the fact that we are not there yet and therefore dig ourselves into a big dark abyss of depression and anxiety. The result is that we never get anything done because we have consciously or unconsciously sent ourselves the message that no matter what we do we will never get there; we will never arrive. First of all, the problem with that is your right, you will never arrive, but that does not only pertain to you, but to everybody, whether a perceived winner or loser. Like the above quote states “Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.” In other words, do not be complacent, there is always success (both in the little and big things) to be had.

W.Mitchell

There is this Hollywood type visage of success that misses this very point. Success will not always look like a shinny pretty thing. It gets messy and challenging just when you think you have overcome what you thought was rock bottom. In the book “Awaken the Giant Within” by Tony Robbins, he mentions the story of W. Mitchell. In short, this man had 2/3 of his body burnt and then a few years later being in a airplane crash causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down. Tony uses him as an example to show that we can either ask empowering or disempowering questions. From the start, W. Mitchell could have called it quits once he saw a whole new, unrecognizable person due to the burns…he could have felt sorry for himself. Instead he learned to focus his attention on the things he could do rather than everything he could not do. After his airplane crash, he asked “How can I use this? Because of this, what will I be able to contribute to others?” The reality is, there are many stories like this and thank God because it shows the human strength and the ability to conquer our fears and truly unleash our higher selves. Marianne Williamson said it beautifully:

Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson

it is our light not our darkness that most frightens us

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

The movie Frozen is a great way of showing how we know what we have when we have it, but we don’t always appreciate it in ways that would bring us great happiness; we take things for granted. Just because something is always there, we become desensitized to it and thus expect it to always exist. Elsa obviously loved her sister, but sometimes it was not always communicated to Ana. In the end it was not a prince charming that saved the day it was the love of two sisters. My brothers are constantly showing me the skills of hard work and how when you put your mind towards something amazing things can result! For the longest time I have complained about how my brothers do not like me and do not really interact with me. I had to finally ask myself as of recently, thanks to my parents and boyfriend, if I was truly perceiving things from a lens of clarity and maturity. It is possible that my brothers can make more of an effort, but to be honest the greatest thing of all is just having siblings in general!! I love that they exist! I love being able to watch them grow into such different people leading totally different lives! I accept them and I value their indirect lessons they have taught me. I feel so much more loving when I come from this space versus wanting more of something, I already do have just not in the way that is ideal. I guess that’s where the power of now comes from is realizing that you only get this moment and in this moment you need to live it in an optimal way that is interconnected with the total ebb and flows of life. Have perspective, resilience, and an CANI attitude!! Tony Robbins created this acronym and it stands for Constant and never- ending improvement. Start from where you are, all that you are, and with everything that you have to constantly strive to improving yourself every day! When you improve yourself, you will ultimately improve your relationships with everyone and everything else other than you.