Bounce Back Stronger

 

Setbacks, disappointments and failures are inevitable and unavoidable in the game of life. We all get knocked off our high horses from time to time.  It's called being human.  But here's the thing, when life knocks you down, you don't have to stay down long. Instead, you can CHOOSE to get up and Bounce Back Stronger. Part of being victorious over life is learning how to get up, dust yourself off, rebuild and reconstruct your life stronger than it was before things fell apart or came undone.  And how you rise from the rubble often displays your real character anyways. 

Life happens to all of us, but you are NOT your setbacks, disappointments or failures. These things don't have to define you as a person, or limit the future you may create for yourself. They are merely stepping stones across the river of life, helping you get to another shore. I have been knocked down in my life more times than I care to admit, but I always manage to get back up and Bounce Back Stronger.  Something inside of me won't ever let me give up and quit.  I have this strong will to win, to succeed, to conquer and overcome anything life throws at me.  And I'm truly grateful for this something, whatever it is, for it is this which keeps me moving forward and fighting like a champion day in and day out.     


Things aren't always as they seem anyways.  Sometimes the very things that knock us down contain hidden blessings which allow us the chance to triumph over ourselves.  I think the point of challenges and struggles is to help us grow deeper roots so that we might one day stand firm like a tree.  Anytime we overcome them, challenges and trials can give us strong foundations to build on, to stand firm against any of the storms life may throw at us.

How you triumph over setbacks and failures can set the tone for your entire life.  The manner in which you handle what life throws at you determines ultimately if your life will be a success or a failure.  Its always a choice though.  Only you can decide if you will sprout once again out of the dirt with new life, or if you will sink into despair and become trapped in the irksome mud. 


You have a warrior within you, who only wants to see you conquer and stand victorious on the battlefield of life.  Whenever you feel like giving up or giving in, don't...  Look to this warrior within for strength and courage.  We are all stronger than we believe ourselves or know ourselves to be.  Choose to be a champion standing victorious in the ring, not a quitter lying broken and beaten on the ground.  Winners win because they push themselves beyond normal limits.  Always strive to find the silver lining in everything and new life will spring forth once again. I promise you, you can triumph over your setbacks and failures.  You can survive and thrive once again and Bounce Back Stronger than you ever were before.

Copyright Justin Topik, Peace Passion Positivity 2013,

All rights reserved, except for use in brief quotations and reviews

which include authors name
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Let Everything Be as It Is

 

Surrender is not just a spiritual, but a truly life transforming practice. It is basically to accept things as they are and Let Everything Be as It Is right now in your life. Resistance is always futile anyway, because what you resist persists and even gets stronger. And too much striving in life actually produces the opposite of thriving. When you stop trying to force things, or overcome things by brute strength and instead, learn to work with the flow, then your natural state of happiness and joy begins to shine forth. By practicing living this way often enough, you may even begin to understand and realize the sheer beauty of the NOW moment for the very first time in your life. 

 

 

There is a marvelous and almost commanding power in non-resistance and acceptance.  If you could learn to be at peace with and simply accept even the unacceptable in your life right now, imagine how much easier your life could be. What if you could just Let Everything Be as It Is?  Well this is the way to flow with life.  To come into union or harmony with the way things actually are right now, to embrace things as they are happening right in this very moment is freeing and liberating.  Here's the thing to remember, whatever you are experiencing now is precisely as it needs to be, otherwise you wouldn't be experiencing it. And the very things you are resisting by nonacceptance cause resistance and friction in your efforts to change, or overcome them. If you could instead accept where you are at and move forward from there, with the flow rather than against it, you could certainly maximize your ability for affecting positive change in your life.

 

The idea of effortless effort in Zen traditions has ultimate relevancy here.  Oftentimes we accomplish more by doing less. Aldous Huxley a leader in modern new thought said this, “In all activities of life from the trivial to important, the secret of efficiency lies in an ability to combine two seemingly incompatible states – a state of maximum activity and a state of maximum relaxation.” Being natural, spontaneous and responsive to life, like water, you can be powerful and effortlessly flowing at the same time. Water is a dynamic reminder of a transcendental life altering substance which overcomes both the hardest and softest elements just by just a gradual, continuous flow. 

 

 

Why walk through life with a clenched fist?  Not accepting things as they are in this very moment is battling against yourself, which is a never ending battle you cannot win.  A great question to ask yourself is this: what do I need to let go of, or merely learn to accept to be at peace right now?  Once you find the answer to this question and you let go of whatever it is you are struggling to accept, you will instantly feel lighter.  Acceptance of things as they are instantly brings clarity and balance to your life experience.  So what in your life can you surrender to or accept right now?  Can you imagine what it would be like to make accepting everything as it is your spiritual practice for the next week?  I assure you that if you do, you will see dynamic changes and your life will be revolutionized.  Accepting things as they are brings clarity, balance and a quiet sense power to any one's life... 

 

Copyright Justin Topik, Peace Passion Positivity 2013, all rights reserved, except for use in brief quotations and reviews which include authors name

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If Life Was a Game

 

If we approached life as if it was a game and we were all just players, life would be a total blast. We would all just be out on the playing field playing our hearts out, not worrying about winning or losing. Think about how you might play the game of life differently if this was the case. If it was all just fun and games and no one was taking score, wouldn't you simply be living it up?  If you didn't have to be concerned with ultimate successes or disastrous failures you would just be playing, taking risks, as well as being more courageous, brave and adventurous. And if this was indeed the case, you would just be relishing the moment, capturing more bliss and excitement.

If we will allow it to be, life can be like a game.  In fact, this is truly how life could be lived by all of us. Here's the thing, no matter how you look at it, none of us are getting out of this experience alive anyway.  So with that being said, the only failure lies in not being fully present, as well as not taking in as much excitement, passion and joy from the game of life as is possible.

When it's being compared to a game though, life sometimes presents big challenges or obstacles to be overcome.  And when we are facing tough obstacles that is the time to step back, take a look from a heightened perspective and remember IT'S ALL JUST A GAME... And the thing with all games is that they are all invented for amusement and fun.  You too can play your game of life anyway you want to, just for fun, without fear of failure, or everything falling apart. 
 

We should never allow ourselves to take life so seriously, for when we do, we attract serious events and situations. When we stress and worry and think of the worst case scenarios, that is what we tend to attract more of.  But rarely is our situation life or death as it seems, unless we are coming from a place of insecurity and fear. The great thing about life is the universe always has our back.  Life always turns around.  We can always get up and keep moving again no matter what befalls us on our paths if we so chose to do so.
 

 

Life is indeed the ultimate game. So remember this and try to apply this idea with any serious, or stressful situations you may be facing at the moment.  And for the next few days try and approach these situations as a game just to see how it eases your stress and worry.  Whatever challenges you may be dealing with, whether it may be financial issues, searching for a new job, deciding on a new life path or career, or struggling to find the perfect lover in your life, it matters not.  Remember these things are all just a game when approached from this perspective. So instead of fretting and freaking out about how up in the air your life may seem, or how difficult and challenging everything is, you can instead choose to simply enjoy the process, seize the moments life gives you and approach it all as a game.  By doing this, life becomes so much simpler and so much more enjoyable.  So live it up, throw yourself out there and play with passion and enthusiasm.  Treat life as If Life Was a Game and you will find yourself victorious in the game of life... 

"And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)" -Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You Will Go

Copyright Justin Topik Peace Passion Positivity 2013

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which include the authors name.

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Exercising Positivity

 

When someone loves life they are infectious.  Their positivity radiates jubilantly for all the world to see. Joy, passion and spirit emanate all around them. Their energy and attitude affect and move everyone they come into contact with. In a nutshell, these types of people are powerful agents for change. Whether you are lucky enough to be this type of person, or know someone of this caliber, you're quite fortunate. These souls are like a well of water in a thirsty desert as they quench the thirst of countless others.

 

What sets these rare people apart from the masses is they are positively fit, which is very similar to being physically fit. They have learned how to strengthen and shape their positive muscles so to speak. You see, positivity is much like a muscle. The more you exercise it and keep it fine tuned, the more it grows, strengthens and basically the more toned and developed this faculty becomes.

You too can strengthen your positivity muscles by sheer will power and by practice. When you do this, you can't help but elevate your life. Both positive and negative energy exist within all of us. What it boils down to though, is which one you decide to exercise the most. You have to decide which one you will nurture.  And whichever one you exercise the most, sooner or later dominates your life experience. The choice is basically up to you.  You might as well choose positivity as it takes just about the same energy to keep yourself positive as it does to be negative.

Positivity is one of the most worthwhile pursuits to follow. It takes nothing away from you, but only adds luster and brilliance to your life. It brightens your personality and outlook on life as well. It expands your possibilities and capabilities. It has an intense effect on others as it subconsciously makes them like you and want to assist you in every avenue of your life. With positivity you become a magnet for all of life's goodness.

There are some keys for Exercising Positivity that you can implement immediately in your own life.  These include: dwelling only on positive outcomes, visualizing positive scenarios, asking yourself positive questions as well as filling your inner reservoirs regularly with positive material. As you exercise your positivity, you are watering your success garden and welcoming abundance, excitement and happiness into your life.  Trust me it's more than worth the effort...

Copyright Justin Topik, Peace Passion Positivity 2013,

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which include author's name 

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Living a Soulful Life

 

A complete, hearty life needs to include balance, variety and a healthy amount of soul care. A little chicken soup for the soul (metaphorically speaking) is an antidote for life's ailments. It seems a lot of people these days are talking about the benefits of soulful activities and how it relates to health and wellness. The health of the soul is now coming into play in the overall spectrum of wholeness, which is definitely a good thing.

Taking time to go to your soul for enrichment, for a refill, or to gain perspective and composure is not only helpful, but relaxing and inspiring. Sipping from the universal well regularly is never a bad idea. Here's the thing, if you wander too far from your soul, you will experience an emptiness and longing to come home spiritually. Not going to your soul regularly is like walking through life in the dark on an unlit path.

Part of this process though is coming into a realization that your soul has needs of its own. Being aware of its presence and needs, a person naturally desires to care for the soul. Just as a good doctor directs patients toward health and healing, we must direct our souls toward spirit. We are each the caretakers of our own souls. It is up to us to lead ourselves to wholeness, to drink of the sacred, life giving nectar. Caring for the soul is an art that you can become skilled at with a little practice. And it's an art form that will majorly revolutionize your life once you get good at it.

All of us have an inner, living presence, a soul, which though invisible to the outside world, is utterly real and of utmost importance. Your soul is a living, energetic thing which needs nurture, care and attention. Living a Soulful Life is about listening to and following what your soul is calling you to do.  The by products of living in this manner are unending joy and serene bliss. A soulful existence results from a life that is uniquely aligned with who you are and one which allows you to fully express the talents and passions that stir your soul to greatness.  Living soulfully is exercising and feeding your soul until it ripens and brings forth scrumptious, delectable fruit.

It's easy to obsess over the non-essentials in life, but it is far better to give attention to things which matter most. Making time to honor and validate your inner being is a wise choice which brings an array of blessings with it. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal ONE." Living in harmony with this entity will prove to be a sublime taste of ecstasy to anyone who tries it. It is like feasting on fillet Mignon for the soul.

Copyright Justin Topik, Peace Passion Positivity 2013,

All rights reserved, except for use in brief quotations and reviews

which include authors name

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Flowing Artistically With LIfe

 

The joy of creativity is uninhibited, delightful pleasure and leads you majestically into a life of untamed, alluring beauty. Starlit skies, cascading mountains, towering pines, majestic lakes and deep, carved canyons all tell a story of boundless creativity. The world is an artistic creation of heavenly creation and glory. The vast universe is a spectacle to behold. It unfolds its articulate attractiveness in a myriad of ways. Haven't you noticed that the times when you are being the most creative are some of the most enlivening and enjoyable moments of your life?

The entire universe dances with a sense of splendor and its own uniqueness. It creates and designs at will. When you express yourself, you become part of this dance and allow your creativity to sparkle and flourish. The manner in which you choose to express this vital part of yourself is your declaration of joy and love. When it comes to creativity, being authentic, standing firm in who you are and exhibiting the talents you bring to the table of life, makes all the difference. You can own your creative powers, thus utilizing your entrusted ability and magic to create. This is taking a sacred, inner journey on an illustrious, gold, paved street to the realm of your heart and soul.

Value your creativity and hold it sacredly. This essential and divine part of you can bring you to life, make you enlivened, as well as help you overflow with rich, colorful passion. All of life is creative and mysterious, so embrace the mystery and choose to participate in a life of exploration, a life of fashion and design, in creative ebb and flow. To give wheels to your own creativity, ask yourself what has been a true expression of your own uniqueness that you could now implement in your life in the days and weeks up ahead?

Opening up to your creativity is like entering a swift, powerful, gushing river that carries you towards greater and grander things. Jump in, get your feet wet and go with the current. Feel the rush and awesomeness of creatively Flowing Artistically With Life.

Copyright Justin Topik Peace Passion Positivity 2013,

All rights reserved except for use in brief quotations and reviews

which include authors' name

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Finding Inspiration

 

If only there was a place we could go to find inspiration, or there was some secret remedy to living an inspired life, the art of inspiration would be simple. Finding Inspiration isn't always easy for any of us though. It can be downright difficult, especially at certain periods in all of our lives. Yet, when we truly open ourselves up to it, it can be found anywhere, anytime, in any situation, if we are but aware of its presence. Some people may find it through art, by observing a beautiful landscape, through hearing a beautiful piece of music, reading or listening to a book or poem. The thing is, inspiration is truly all around us when we but stop to look and listen. And being inspired and living an inspired life is where life's magic is at. We all need inspiration as desperately as we need sunlight and oxygen.

For me inspiration comes comes in many different ways.  It can arise within me when I'm reading or writing poetry as well as listening to music, or writing music.  But it can also come from hiking in the mountains, watching a play or incredible movie.  I also find that when I'm feeling the closest and most connected to source, I'm the most influenced by or awakened to inspiration.  For this reason I practice daily yoga and meditation.  It keeps me close to inspiration, since inspiration literally means (in spirit).  Sometimes inspiration is brought on by exercising creativity.  Regardless of the numerous forms for finding it, it is blooming all around...

I believe we are all meant to life inspired lives.  Inspiration is one of spirit's greatest gifts. We can however cut ourselves off from its amazing power by dulling or numbing ourselves.  The end result of this though is that we choke off the very part of us which gives us the most animation.  We should all embrace inspiration and do things which inspire us often.  When we cut ourselves off from inspiration, we are literally cutting ourselves off from our life giving essence or spirit.  Living with inspiration is magical, breathtaking and a colorful existence.

Copyright Justin Topik, Peace Passion Positivity 2013