“Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett.
It’s the thing I valued most in my life.”

“Jack, Thanks for your time!
-Harold Belser.”

A time comes in your life
when you finally get it…

when…in the midst of all your fears and insanity,
you stop dead in your tracks
and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…
“ENOUGH!
Enough fighting
and crying
and blaming
and struggling to hold on.”

Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum,
you blink back your tears
and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting
for something to change,
or for happiness, safety and security
to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world
there aren’t always fairy tale endings,
and that any guarantee of
“happily ever after”
must begin with YOU…
and in the process,
a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that
you are not perfect
and that not everyone will always
love, appreciate or approve
of who or what you are…
and that’s OK.
They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of
loving and championing yourself…
and in the process,
a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

You stop complaining and blaming other people
for the things they did to you
(or didn’t do for you)
and you learn that the only thing you can really count on
is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always
say what they mean or
mean what they say,
not everyone will always be there for you,
and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own
and to take care of yourself…
and in the process,
a sense of safety and security is born out of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers.
You begin to accept people as they are
and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…
and in the process,
a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds
and different points of view.
You begin reassessing and redefining
who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing
and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown,
or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing
and you stop maneuvering through life merely as
a “consumer” looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as
honesty and integrity
are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era,
but the mortar that holds together the foundation
upon which you must build a life.

You learn that
you don’t know everything,
it’s not your job to save the world
and that
you can’t teach a pig to sing.

You learn that the only cross to bear is
the one you choose to carry
and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love.

You learn to look at relationships as they really are
and not as you would have them be.

You learn that alone
does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes.

You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility,
the importance of setting boundaries
and
learning to say NO.

You also STOP working so hard at
putting your feelings aside,
smoothing things over
and
ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple.
You begin to care for it and treat it with respect.

You begin to
eat a balanced diet,
drink more water,
and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired
fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty
and so you take more time to rest.

And, just as food fuels the body,
laughter fuels our soul.
So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part,
you get in life what you believe you deserve,
and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving
is worth working for
and that
wishing for something to happen
is different than
working toward making it happen.

More importantly,
you learn that in order to achieve success you need
direction, discipline and perseverance.

You also learn that
no one can do it all alone,
and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself.
You learn to step right into and through your fears
because you know that
whatever happens…you can handle it
and to give in to fear
is to give away the right
to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life
and not to squander it
living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair,
you don’t always get what you think you deserve
and that sometimes bad things happen
to unsuspecting, good people…
and you learn to not always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you
and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault.

It’s just life happening.

You learn to admit when you are wrong
and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn that negative feelings such as
anger, envy and resentment
must be understood and redirected
or they will suffocate the life out of you
and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in
many of the simple things we take for granted,
things that millions of people upon the earth
can only dream about:
…a full refrigerator,
…clean running water,
…a soft warm bed,
…a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility
for yourself
by yourself
and you make yourself a promise to
never betray yourself
and to
never, ever settle
for less than your heart’s desire.

You make it a point
to keep smiling,
to keep trusting,
and
to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window
so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in your heart,
you take a stand,
you take a deep breath,
and
you begin to design the life
you want to live
as best you can.

~Author Unknown