Bad company

Are you keeping company with thieves?

"No," you say? Read on and perhaps you'll think again.

Many a man allow themselves to sit between two thieves at the Table of Great Possibilities. On the left is the thief named "Regret for the Past" and on the right is his more evil, younger brother, "Fear of the Future." Their goal is to keep you from enjoying life's banquet laid out on the great table.

Regret keeps score of your would of, should of, and could of's and delights in reminding you of those things you didn't do or your failings. If you allow him, he will weigh you down with a ton of guilt and brand you a lesser, dwelling on losing the one thing you'll never retrieve, your past.

As strong as Regret may seem his power is only an illusion. Despite what you have done or not have done, neither has a hold over your tomorrow. The past is for learning, not for yearning and now is the time to live in the only time that counts, the present. When you live in the moment, Regret will leave you.

And then there is Fear. Where Regret is cruel with memories Fear is a liar with your dreams. He steals your will and nerve to take on the future. He leans on the hollow words of Regret by reminding you of past shortcomings and convinces you the future holds the same. But just like Regret, Fear's power is an illusion. By feeling the fear but doing what you want anyway is the quickest way to dismiss him.

Now I ask you again, are you keeping bad company? Look to your left and to your right. Are these two thieves keeping you from achieving happiness? Does Regret of the Past have you by the coattail keeping you stuck in the past or is Fear of the Future holding you back because you're worried of what the future holds? If the answer is, "yes," you're keeping the worst of company. But the good news each thief can be defeated, today.

Throw off the shackles holding you back and punch through the veil keeping you down. Replace those two with two new friends; "Wisdom" and "Courage" today and make your bold plans and take the first steps to enjoy the banquet of possibilities laid before you.

Stay tuned...