Ten Life Philosophies to Ease the Mind

	Although we may not be aware of them, we all have personal philosophies that shape how we view the world. These philosophies color our interpretation of events in our lives—both good and bad. And more importantly, how we respond to those events. We've all heard some of the more popular philosophies—e. g. when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But, have you stopped to think about the philosophies that guide and shape your particular worldview?    When life gets hectic, and things don't seem to be going your way, following are some philosophies you can adopt that will enable you to take those lemons and make the very best lemonade! 1. Mistakes are the stepping stones to mastery. I love watching funny sitcom and movie out-takes—especially when I've already seen the finished product. Nothing illustrates this concept better. We can learn so many lessons: that humor can get us through the fumbles; that others are there to lend a hand if we allow them; that no one is perfect, not even Robert De Niro; that there's a chance for another take; and most importantly, that if we persist, we can eventually master the task at hand and no one would be the wiser! 2. If you truly believe in you, you're one-up already. Any top salesman will tell you that he cannot fully succeed if he doesn't believe in his product.  Whenever we pitch ourselves—be it for a promotion, a lead role or a new job—just how effective we are, is largely determined by our own self-confidence and esteem. Think about the times you've been fully confident in your abilities and how easy it was to convince others of the same. And then, think about the times you may not have been as confident—was it as easy to be convincing? 3. Perfection, like a brand new car, is customizable. What's your idea of a perfect life?  I bet if you asked five other people, they would all tell you something different. Commercials and ads appeal to our recognition of a well-marketed American Dream (i.e. the house with the white picket fence, a dog and 2.5 children), but we all know there is no universal definition of "perfection."  The key is to define it for yourself, based on your Personal Values, and then to aggressively pursue it despite differences in opinion about what may constitute "perfection." 4. Disappointment in oneself only stems from the knowledge that we CAN do better. Deep down, we all know what we're really capable of.  The key, then, is to figure out what forms of support enable us to be our best.  Reality is, there will be times when you fall, and when you do, revisit philosophy #1. 5. Parenthood means you're already an outstanding achiever. Sacrificing self, sleep, quiet and occasionally, peace? Raising another individual? What greater accomplishment could there be? 6.  If you're afraid to make the jump, you can always get a hang glider. Look inside to find out what keeps you from creating the life you really want to be living.  If your life or career goal appears to you to be a most daunting mountain, know that you don't have to face it alone. Family, friends or a personal coach can help you to safely navigate and enjoy your experience conquering that mountain. 7. Sometimes you have to tolerate the cacophony before you can find the harmony. Well, maybe Mozart didn't have to.  But for the rest of us, experimenting with how something works will enable us to eventually hit on all the wonderful possibilities.  In order to learn to play a guitar, for example, we need to learn how to hold it and then the sounds each string makes all along the neck.  Once we learn this, we are then equipped to play the harmonies involving multiple strings.  But be sure, along the way, as you experiment, there will be noise! 8. There is no one else in the world who knows everything that you know. Your life is like no other.  You are a unique individual.  When it feels like others around you may be smarter, recognize that every piece of knowledge you've gathered over the years is unique to you and while someone else may seem to know more than you do about a particular thing, they can't possibly know everything that you do! 9. The work will be there tomorrow. Yes, this is a good thing. This means that you can comfortably say no to laundry today to catch that game on TV or meet an old friend. The laundry, like a true friend, will still be there tomorrow. 10. For every 1 thing you regret, there are always 100 more to be thankful for. So many of us spend a lot of energy focusing on what we don't have or what didn't go our way.  Meanwhile the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the grass is green, the sky is starry, our health is good, our children are beautiful . . . Try this on—next time something disappointing happens, shift your focus instead to identifying 100 things that you do have to be thankful for. Then, figure out how you can channel all that wonderful positive energy into achieving whatever it is you seek!