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On these pages we'd like to examine aspects of life that tend to hinder us from living a full life. There are many of them, and every individual experiences most of them during a lifetime.  But as with most things in this world, what we go through and what we feel aren't necessarily the problem; how we react to our circumstances very often determines how we feel.  Some people can lose a child in a car accident and get on with their lives, while others fall apart, break down, and lose their love of life.  Some people find the failure of a business or project to be debilitating, while others see the same circumstances as a challenge to be worked through.

   

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow,
you gotta put up with the rain.

Dolly Parton

      

These pages will be much more challenging than the others, for us to make and for you to read.  We must be sure that we're not focusing just on the negative issues, but also on positive ways of dealing with them.  We must read about the obstacles with an open mind, sometimes admitting to ourselves something that we might not want to admit.  We must search open-mindedly to find resources that will be helpful, not condemning; we must admit that changes may be needed in certain areas, and start the process of change rolling.

 

That said, here are our topics:

  
  

  
We'd like to share a statement of belief: The world is not falling apart. We are not experiencing moral decay or any sort of breakdown of morality or ethics.  People aren't becoming meaner or more angry or more violent--people have always been mean and angry and violent, just as people have always been loving and caring and helpful and gracious.

Nowadays, though, with the overwhelming amount of news that focuses on death and sickness and natural disasters and violence, we tend to see the negative more. If you get up in the morning and watch the news, then go to work and see only your co-workers, then maybe stop at the grocery store on your way home and then watch the news again, how much of an opportunity have you had to see the beauty of humanity to contrast with the garbage you see on the news?  Not very much, unless your co-workers happen to be great people who aren't so busy that they can't let their better sides show (and many people are).

Our world is still a beautiful place, and the people in it are still beautiful. We see more violence on the news these days, but that doesn't mean people are worse.  In my experience teaching, I still find that my students are caring, loving people who are looking to make a positive mark on the world.  They have hopes and dreams and desires, and they work hard to get ahead.  The world is not in the hands of terrible people who will blow away others in rage or frustration; the world is in the hands of those who love and who do their best to help.  We may not always agree with their methods, ideas, or ideals, but we must trust that they're doing what they truly feel is best for all.  The greedy and the arrogant will always be around and sometimes will even be "in charge," but their power will always be fleeting; their time will always be short.
   

Sometimes things which at the moment may be perceived as obstacles--
and actually be obstacles, difficulties, or drawbacks--can in the long run
result in some good end which would not have occurred
if it had not been for the obstacle.

Steve Allen

   

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.

Hannah More

  

  

 

I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.

Louisa May Alcott

 

Affliction comes to us not to make us sad, but sober; not to make us sorry,
but wise; not to make us despondent, but by its darkness to refresh us,
as the night refreshes day; not to impoverish, but to enrich us, as the plough
enriches the field; to multiply our joy, as the seed, by planting, is multiplied a thousand-fold.

Henry Ward Beecher

  

When I was a Boy Scout, we played a game when new Scouts joined the troop.  We lined up chairs in a pattern, creating an obstacle course through which the new Scouts, blindfolded, were supposed to maneuver.  The Scoutmaster gave them a few moments to study the pattern before our adventure began.  But as soon as the victims were blindfolded, the rest of us quietly removed the chairs.  I think life is like this game.  Perhaps we spend our lives avoiding obstacles we have created for ourselves and in reality exist only in our minds.  We're afraid to apply for that job, take violin lessons, learn a foreign language, call an old friend, write our Congressman - whatever it is that we would really like to do but don't because of personal obstacles.  Don't avoid any chairs until you run smack into one.  And if you do, at least you'll have a place to sit down.

Pierce Vincent Eckhart

   
One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles
possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

Albert Schweitzer

   

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within
yourself--the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us--that's where it's at.

Jesse Owens

   
   

We have some inspiring and motivational books that may interest you.  Our main way of supporting this site is through the sale of books, either physical copies or digital copies for your Amazon Kindle (including the online reader).  All of the money that we earn through them comes back to the site in one way or another.  Just click on the picture to the left to visit our page of books, both fiction and non-fiction!

  
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you
take your eyes off your goal.

Henry Ford
  

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Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.

    
  

       

Explore all of our quotations pages--these links will take you to the first page of each topic, and those pages will contain links to any additional pages on the same topic (there are five pages on adversity, for example).

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