So maybe somewhere out there, in a mystical castle, and probably in a dungeon, someone has managed to abscond with barrels and barrels of magical fairy dust, but I can’t for the life of me find any.
It would be nice to have it too. To have that magic bullet. The secret formula. The hidden path to riches. A path to love and to uncover an escape plan from all suffering. An easy way to get what we want out of life.
We can, but we would have to take ourselves out of the equation first, because our life complicates everything. It mucks it up. Only our demise makes everything nice and rosy.
People are the problem.
We are the problem.
You are an unquantifiable mystery. Prone to weave right, when you should weave left. Often getting things wrong. Regressing. Getting things right. Reluctantly moving forward. Forgetting. Jumping to conclusions. Making a mess of things.
You and I are the problem, and magical fairy dust is the solution.
Except there is no magical fairy dust, and we are still left with the question of how to grow, how to improve, and how to live a meaningful life.
You just can’t will yourself anything. Can’t sprinkle anything. Can’t will yourself a new you. A new life or a new wife.
You cannot make the life you don’t want just disappear. You can’t be unborn or unmistake your mistakes.
Mantras help, but they are just words, meant to change the way you think. They work, not because there is sorcery in the words, but because through relentless repetition you begin to believe what you hear and do what you should have done in the first place.
Your thoughts are the key to everything. Your mind is the true gatekeeper of your reality.
If you think you will have a horrible day, you will. If you think you’re too poor to travel, you are. If you think you’re unwanted or undesirable, people will turn away from in droves, and hide themselves from you at every turn.
You have to change your thoughts.
Over a long period of time, repeating mantras or transcendental meditation does help. It helps to make you think differently.
But in itself it is not a secret formula. It’s not magic. You cannot substitute waking up and engaging yourself in the art of living.
You don’t have to meditate or use mantras. You can achieve similar results with prayer or by reading good books. By surrounding yourself with successful, loving, and driven people. By having the courage to fail and not take yourself so seriously.
There are many ways to success, but there is certainly no such thing as magical fairy dust.
I have recently come across the work of Carline Arnold, the author of Small Move, Big Change, and I’m in love with her idea of Microresolution.
Imagine the infinite possibilities of Micro Self-Development!
Imagine what lasting impact changing your toothbrush, or the radio station you listen to in the morning can produce in the long term? Imagine what arriving at work five minutes early could do for you? Or five minutes late, if you’re a perfectionist.
Imagine what taking a few extra steps each day could mean not only for your heart, but your entire life. Imagine what trouble you could find along the way. What scandalous thoughts you could dream up. What a tremendous transformation this could all lead to, one day.
One day begins today.
With little things.
Not Magic Bullets.
With micro things.
Not secret formulas.
With insignificant, unnoticeable, ignorable little things will ultimately help and bring you to the life you’re longing for.
Forget the dungeon and the castle.
Forget the barrels and barrels of magical fairy dust.
Focus instead on your uniqueness.
Accept that your life requires rare and tangible actions. Choices and movements, only you can make.
Start making things happen.
In little ways.
Through tiny thoughts.
In miniscule bits and bits of change.
