Making the Grade ... Learning to pass life's tests with easeWritten by Edward B. Toupin
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If you plan your path carefully, you can take into account many of challenges that will occur as you pursue your desires. Even though some challenges will occur out of blue, they will not be as devastating since you raised bar with regard to your understanding of core challenges. You'll be ready for final and, since you're studying life daily, and desensitizing your fears of unknown, pop-quizzes won't be as much of a shock. --- Pass/Fail --- Believe it or not, there is no real grade that anyone can attach to your endeavors. People will judge you because of your dreams and desires; however, they're making their judgments based on their own belief systems. They don't know what you believe or what your objectives are so they have no real way of critiquing your life. Determining a pass or fail on your life is entirely up to you. Once you're able to make a plan and establish a vision of where you want to be, you'll be able to define a metric that can be used to define your own success. --- What's next? --- Regardless of path you take, whether it is something you love or something you hate, you will always encounter a challenge, or a test. The difference is that, if you are moving toward a vision that is not fulfilling, every challenge will seem monumental. If you are moving toward a fulfilling vision, you will take challenges on as part of class work. You will work hard to resolve issues that are keeping you from moving forward toward your ultimate fulfillment. In this case, even with multitude of challenges you face when you decide to get in motion, you will be in a situation such that you will never be given anything that you're not ready to handle. In reality, you can't pass or fail in life. You can either live it, or not. It's not always what happens, but it's how you view and handle each and every challenge you encounter.

Edward B. Toupin is a writer and coach living in the "Entertainment Capital of the World." His inspirational and motivational works, for career and life fulfillment, help individuals realize their potential and establish the directions that will bring them the most fulfillment. His upcoming e-book, "Aligning Your Life," steps through a plan to help you organize your life to reach your vision. You can contact Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or http://www.toupin.com.
| | Aim for the Future ... but don't get ulcers waiting for it to happen!Written by Edward B. Toupin
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Over years, I've found that a vision in future is a moving target. You can't expect to anticipate something that only exists as a dream of what you would like to be. The future changes based on your experiences, your knowledge, and your changing beliefs and desires. As it changes, holding on to something you once wanted only holds you back. You have to execute your goals to reach your vision and be ready to change your path and your mission when your vision changes. --- What's next? --- I once wrote this screenplay called "The Chamber." It was about a teleportation project gone awry. One of strange side effects of teleportation process was that character ended up in future, by several seconds, because of a temporal shift that occurred. When someone traveled via chamber, they were, literally alone, in future, for a period of time until rest of world caught up to them. Sadly, if you aim into future and wait for something to happen, then you too are living in a non-existent time with nothing and no one else around. Take time to smell roses. Slow it down a bit and take stock in what is going on now and not what "might" happen in future. You're missing out on world that you're creating if you're too anxious to be in a world that doesn't yet exist. This causes frustration, loss of direction and, in some cases, loss of desire. Realize that once you set yourself up and begin your mission to your vision, idea is to enjoy journey. Feel fulfillment of accomplishing your goals along way. When your life is directed at an objective, you're better able to control those things that would otherwise affect you. Aim for future. Don't anticipate possibilities as they're not yet here.

Edward B. Toupin is a writer and coach living in the "Entertainment Capital of the World." His inspirational and motivational works, for career and life fulfillment, help individuals realize their potential and establish the directions that will bring them the most fulfillment. His upcoming e-book, "Aligning Your Life," steps through a plan to help you organize your life to reach your vision. You can contact Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or http://www.toupin.com.
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