by Charles McAlpine | Jun 1, 2014 | Blog
I read an article this week that stirred up a lot of thoughts and emotions. In many ways I am sure it was intended to be a positive article. However, the way it hit me was that it promoted the idea that we are victims of our lives. That we must live with the hand we are dealt. At first I couldn’t understand why this article even held my interest. I am sure it was intended to be informative, thought provoking and to assist others in looking at an aspect of their life. That is all good, right? However, for me it carried the energy of resignation. Resigning yourself to the idea that life will be a particular way, because you have a certain trait, gift, passion or way of being. I realize that way of thinking is at odds with the message I promote everyday. Intentional Living. If we live intentional lives, then that implies we are taking responsibility for what we experience each day and in each situation. When we like something, we create more of it. If something feels out of alignment with our values, interests or direction, we let it go. If we see something needs to change, change it. This doesn’t mean we are trying to move beyond being human! We will all experience emotions, including fear, anger, disappointment and sorrow. We will have ugly thoughts and crazy ideas. We will be judgmental, critical, envious and petty. Precisely because we are human. It is in our nature! It is how we respond and react to these thoughts and emotions that defines us. In fact,...
by Charles McAlpine | Jun 1, 2014 | Blog
I read an article this week that stirred up a lot of thoughts and emotions. In many ways I am sure it was intended to be a positive article. However, the way it hit me was that it promoted the idea that we are victims of our lives. That we must live with the hand we are dealt. At first I couldn’t understand why this article even held my interest. I am sure it was intended to be informative, thought provoking and to assist others in looking at an aspect of their life. That is all good, right? However, for me it carried the energy of resignation. Resigning yourself to the idea that life will be a particular way, because you have a certain trait, gift, passion or way of being. I realize that way of thinking is at odds with the message I promote everyday. Intentional Living. If we live intentional lives, then that implies we are taking responsibility for what we experience each day and in each situation. When we like something, we create more of it. If something feels out of alignment with our values, interests or direction, we let it go. If we see something needs to change, change it. This doesn’t mean we are trying to move beyond being human! We will all experience emotions, including fear, anger, disappointment and sorrow. We will have ugly thoughts and crazy ideas. We will be judgmental, critical, envious and petty. Precisely because we are human. It is in our nature! It is how we respond and react to these thoughts and emotions that defines us. In fact,...
