“Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand – relax. If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it.”  ~Osho

We often associate getting what we want with fighting. We attack our to-do list. We struggle for success. We fight time to make some for ourselves.

The result of all that pushing and prodding might be accomplishment, but it comes encased in tension.

You stress about the potential to miss the mark. You stress about whether or not you’re doing things the right way. You stress about losing what you have once you get it.

Today, think about the getting, the going and the giving as exercises in ease. That doesn’t mean you don’t put in your best effort. It just means you’ve decided to be part of the flow instead of assuming you need to resist it.

Breathe. Move. Breathe some more. Everything will get done. How much you struggle is entirely up to you.

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” -Paul Boese

Sometimes resentment and anger may seem involuntary–like reactions you have to indulge for a length of time to proportionate to how badly you were wronged. It might even feel like your anger is a justified retaliation, and you’d be weak if you let it go.

The irony is that after we’ve been hurt, we choose to continue hurting ourselves. Bitterness never feels good, no matter where it’s rooted.

Psychologists suggest that when other people make mistakes, we tend to assign them character flaws (i.e.: he’s selfish, or she doesn’t care who she hurts) whereas when we make mistakes, we more frequently cite external causes (i.e.: I’ve been overworked, or I haven’t been getting enough sleep.)

It’s almost as though we’re willing to let ourselves off the hook because we have to live with ourselves, but when it comes to other people we’re quick to condemn and slow to forget.

You might not be able to forget what happened yesterday, but you can choose not to let it suffocate today. We all have character flaws and we’re all affected by external causes. Today if you have a hard time forgiving, ask yourself this question: do you want to feel bitter or better?

“What matters is the value we’ve created in our lives, the people we’ve made happy and how much we’ve grown as people.” -Daisaku Ikeda

We spend so much of our lives looking for meaning–a sense that it all makes sense or will in the end–that we sometimes drive ourselves crazy trying to make the moment good enough. To do the right work, have the right relationships, make the right decisions, make the right impact so hopefully our lives will matter. We’ll matter.

All that struggling, striving, and racing toward something better can make the moment feel like something to escape instead of something to celebrate.

This moment is all we’re guaranteed. Don’t fill it worrying about being better or doing more in the world. Even if you spend today creating a tomorrow you visualize, go through it knowing you create a lot of value and happiness, just as you are. You might be amazed by how much you can accomplish when you’re satisfied with the present, exactly as it is.

“A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” -Unknown

Never underestimate your ability to transform hardship into growth and loss into gain. Today, if you feel stressed, take a deep breath and remember: the way you handle it shapes both today and tomorrow.

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“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands.” -Robert M. Pirsig

When you feel you live in a happy place, know that you chose to be happy. When you feel you live in a loving place, know that you chose to be loving. When you feel you live in a place with opportunity, know that you chose to look for them.

How will you choose to improve the world today?

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“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” -William S. Burroughs

Most of the time when you seek advice you already know the answer. You just want permission to either trust or ignore your gut. Make that choice for yourself. Step back from your circumstances, calm your mind, and pay attention to what you feel in your head, heart, and body.

Not sure you can trust your instincts? Today’s post, Stop Second Guessing Yourself: 5 Tips to Feel at Ease with Decisions, may help.

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“We all have problems. The way we solve them is what makes us different.” -Unknown

Some people see themselves as victims of their circumstances; other people take responsibility for creating them. Some people complain about everything that’s wrong; others discuss solutions to make things right. Some people are pushed by their problems in life; other people are led by their dreams

What kind of person will you be today?

“Think like a man of action; act like a man of thought.” -Henri L. Bergson

At any given moment, you have the power to take action and change your world. If you have a pulse, you have the potential to pursue the possibilities you imagine.

Your choices may not always create tomorrow as you visualized it–but that’s not what really matters. Winning isn’t what dictates your happiness in life; it’s whether or not you’re willing to play.

Get in the game today. Be deliberate. Set intentions. Visualize where you’re headed and set concrete goals to get there. You have the freedom to live life however you choose–but first you need to make the choice.

What action will you choose to take today?

“If you get up one more time than you fall, you will make it through.” -Chinese Proverb

Life is in the actions you take and the choices you make–and staying still is a choice. What can you do today to maintain forward momentum?

“He is able who thinks he is able.” -Buddha

Let’s call a spade a spade: there are some things you cannot do, even if you think you can.

Despite delusions of grandeur, none of us can grow wings and fly, teleport across the planet, or walk on water. That being said, there’s something to this idea, also stated eloquently by Henry Ford as “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

Your beliefs can either limit you or allow you to flourish.

If you don’t think you can run a marathon, you won’t even start training. If you don’t think you can start a business, you won’t even consider doing initial research. Instead, you’ll stuff your dreams under a pile of can’t happen, and spend your hours in self-imposed mediocrity.

The belief itself can’t create your future, but it gives you the freedom to try–and as long as you’re trying, there’s no reason to believe you won’t keep learning, growing, and impressing yourself.

Need more motivation to take action? Read today’s post: A Simple Guide to Achieving Personal Greatness and Living with Purpose.