The Power to Revoke

‘If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it…and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.’
-Marcus Aurelius

Facebook decided to give me the Timeline feature the other day. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about it at first. But, it’s turned out to be a good thing because I’ve had the opportunity to look back at years’ worth of status updates while updating my page. Enjoying the trip back in time.

Meanwhile I found the above quote from a few years ago and thought I’d share it here today.

What external stressors do you need to revoke right now? What are you looking at in a negative way?

You have the power to make the choice to erase that pain and replace it with positive thoughts and gratitude for the good things in your life.

So what are you waiting for? Change your perspective and watch your joy increase.

Have a great day.

It’s Your Choice

Perhaps you’re facing a difficult situation right now. Maybe you’ve been dealt a hand you feel isn’t fair or feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle. You’re looking at it as a bad deal, and one that doesn’t seem to have any upside to it.

No matter what it might be, the situations we encounter in our lives are neither good nor bad – they only become one of those two as a result of how we view them. Regardless of whether or not you’ve chosen your situation, you always get to choose how you look at it.

Your Ticket

Imagine what it would be like to have a ticket to the biggest event you’d ever want to experience.

Let’s say it’s the premiere of something. Perhaps a sold-out Broadway show or a stage performance.

Now think about having a ticket to a once-in-a-lifetime event. Could be anything.

A Tribute to Uncle Ron

God called my Uncle Ron home this past week.

Ronald A. Marten passed away late Thursday afternoon, with his family by his side. He was 63 years old.

Uncle Ron was one of the most genuine, caring people you could ever meet. I enjoyed every time I spent talking with him. He was the kind of guy you always felt comfortable talking with and he was someone who just projected kindness with his every mannerism.

A dedicated husband and father, he loved his family very much. He was also a beloved brother to his sisters – my Mom and my Aunt Judy.

He was a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and so many of our conversations revolved around the ups and downs of our beloved Cubbies. I can recall talking to him about the Cubs since I was a little kid. Sometimes we talked about the Bears or the Bulls, but mostly the Cubs. He was one of their biggest fans.

Uncle Ron was also a man who beat a lot of odds in his life. From his early days, a heart condition would challenge him and other health complications arose over the years as well. Numerous times he surpassed doctors’ expectations and numerous times he overcame things that on paper, he just wasn’t supposed to be able to overcome.

In many ways, Uncle Ron was a medical miracle.

Through it all he kept a positive attitude. Many wouldn’t have. Some would have quit. But he never did. He was strong until the end.

He believed that God was in control and he trusted Him. Completely. I really admire my Uncle Ron for that.

As my Mom told me the other day, he put his faith in God and loved every day. What a great way to live.

I know that my family is very sad to see him go. I also know that we take comfort in the thought that my Grandma and Grandpa just had one really happy reunion with their son in Heaven the other day. I am sure it was wonderful.

We’ll miss you Uncle Ron. Thank you for always being nice, for always being thoughtful, and for every life you touched while you were here. May you rest in peace.