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Recommended Reading
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The
Cedarfire Newsletter Volume
11, Issue 17
"Life Doesn't Have To Be A Struggle" Recently, a belief surfaced for me that was an aspect of a deeper issue concerning the need to struggle. This specific belief stressed that I could only learn and grow through difficulty. It claimed that it was necessary for me to experience blocks and obstacles, since that was the only way to strengthen me. It made me realize how pervasive this idea of struggle, suffering and difficulty is in our culture. From religion to business, we're conditioned to believe that life has to be hard and that we're born to suffer. Our society has made suffering and struggle a condition to aspire to. Not only is it condoned, it's expected. Think of the things you've heard from childhood.
If people like this try to draw you in, disregard them. No matter what you do, you can't please these discontented people. If you engage in their game, they'll keep upping the ante. When someone says something like that to me, my internal commentary is, "You win. I'd rather have an enjoyable life than a hard one." It's true that suffering sometimes can encourage a person to grow. But more often than not, it just causes them to dig a deeper hole. Struggle may strengthen character, but it's more likely to cause a person to implode and be self-destructive. When this belief surfaced for me, I realized that, to a certain extent and in limited amounts, struggle and suffering could be beneficial. It can wake us up and cause us to aspire to something better. Too much of it, though, and it's counter-productive. In large amounts, it doesn't build a person up, it breaks them down. It's like stress. A little stress helps propel us to develop new ideas, new ways of doing things, and actually creates interest in life. What would life be without a little excitement? To build muscle, we stretch and stress them. But train too hard, and we strain or tear our muscles. Having too much stress for too long harms our health. We can choose what to believe. Our beliefs create our reality. Since, in the past, I'd successfully transformed a belief to be more constructive, I decided to do the same thing with this one. I considered how I could turn the idea of struggle around to be more in alignment with the Universe. What if the solution appeared as soon as I hit a snag? What if I could learn lessons while things flowed easily for me? It may take some time for me to integrate these ideas, but I know that when I do, my life will be enriched. Try it for yourself. You just might be surprised at how wonderful your life can be without believing you need to struggle. Copyright © 2011 Linda Ann Stewart A nationally known speaker, life coach, hypnotherapist, and author, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers people to discover new possibilities and realize their full potential. For a copy of her free ebook, "Secrets To The Law Of Attraction," visit Cedarfire.com/SecretsToLOA.shtml.
I just launched my new 6-step life coaching system. It helps you to think more positively, achieve your goals, and stop sabotaging yourself. You'll also increase your self-esteem and self-confidence. I created the system based on strategies that I've used for myself and my clients.
"Yet Another Reason To Be Positive" was inspired by a study indicating that optimism and happiness promoted health and greater longevity.
"Getting Well Again" This book is a step by step workbook of what to do if you have cancer. It explains how the immune system works, and why cancer might have developed. This book discusses how to participate in your healing, the benefits of illness (also called "secondary gains"), dealing with resentment, the importance of setting goals, and much more. There are specific exercises to follow to help you. I believe that anyone that's ever experienced a chronic illness, or even been close to someone who has, should read this book. To order this book, click on the image of the book on the left. For past issues of the newsletter, visit Free Archives Library. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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