Ask Mark Ward

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Surrender to Possibility.

When you find yourself continually in a cycle of negative experiences, it is very easy to surrender to the idea that the world is simply not on your side.  The more that you subscribe to this belief, the more evidence that you will find to support it.

Instead of seeing yourself as a victim, consider the possibility that repetition is often an indication that there is something that we are not getting. Rather than allowing yourself to resign to simply being the victim of an unjust world,  change the lens through which you are looking at the challenge and look for the undiscovered value. When you're in the experience, it begins by asking, "what's in this for me? How can this challenge actually serve me?" The answer may not come immediately, but if you are able to keep your focus on how the experience is serving you, you will begin to see glimpses of the gift (beyond the initial pain).

Your experience of life will respond to your beliefs and expectations. If you believe that "all men are cheaters," for example, you will soon discover that all of the men that show up in your life will fit the profile of your expectation. As you think, so shall 'ye be. The same holds true for your life. This is why this philosophy exists in some capacity in every culture and religion.

Life challenges also provide you with an opportunity to examine your actions and responses. If you continue doing the same things and expecting different results or do nothing and expect negative results before they even appeared, you have actually received that which you "ordered."

Success or sabotage?  We all have to decide whether we want to be right or effective. Allow yourself to be wrong about your negative expectations. What if (instead) you decided that everything that happens for you, happens to you? So much of our disappointment in life is based on how we think things "should be" or how things "need to be."

Is this going to be an incredible day? If you surrender to the possibility that the universe actually has an order and a wisdom, then you can entertain the possibility that the bigger picture is going to be much brighter than this brief chapter. And, when you accept the possibility, the reality that follows will respond in kind (and your days will be incredible).