Who is Going to Stop You?

Ayn Rand wisely said, “The question isn’t ‘Who is going to LET me?’; it’s ‘Who is going to STOP me?’”

We are all given the same 24 hours in each day. Yes, we are given different “tests” in life; things over which we have no control; things that can be downright unfathomable, difficult, unfair and the like. I can speak from experience, having been tested too many times for one lifetime. On the other hand, I have had opportunities because of the kindness of strangers, beneficent family and friends. The common thread in any of the situations is that while I could not always choose what happened to me, I could always choose how to respond to it. That is the one thing we have control over – our attitudes and responses.

We make choices. Sometimes they are the wrong ones. That’s how we learn to navigate life. To learn and not repeat the same mistakes is what differentiates those of who live happy and successful lives from those who squander their time on earth. We don’t really know if we get a second chance to live our lives, so we need to live this one as if there were no second go-around. Parental wisdom often told us to “Do your best.” With a lot of room for interpretation, mine would be, “Do good. Be happy.” Simple. but covers a lot of ground.

So next time you even think of blaming anything or anyone other than yourself for the way things are going in your life, take a good, hard look and find what it is you can do to change what you don’t like. Whether it is your weight, health, relationships, job, how you spend your time – it is always up to you. Who is going to stop you? My guess is that it’s only you.

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