Without Excuses Anything is Possible!

In today’s world especially with most recent events a sense of hopelessness can permeate our thinking. That signals me to pull myself up and go to the resources of my toolbox. Surprisingly I discovered a resource I had not thought of as such. I felt myself being drawn to family memories, to ancestors on both sides of our family. I was drawn to reflect on their choices to keep moving forward and create a life of abundance in spite of the negative news of their times, namely WWII.

The following words of wisdom are taken from a book in my resource library Excuses Begone by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
"Since we're all pieces of the infinite creative Source, we should continually be telling ourselves, ‘I came from God, and since I must be like what I came from, I am a piece of the Divine.’ Trying to imagine the all-creating spiritual force coming up with excuses for anything is impossible, because it is creating from its own consciousness. 

This quote was written almost 120 years ago by the father of modern psychology who urges us to be aware of the danger of living as if there are no choices.
‘The hell to be endured hereafter, of which theology tells, is no worse than the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioning our characters in the wrong way.... we are spinning our own fates, good or evil’.” The Principles of Psychology, William James 

Because of instant news reporting along with negative reactions happening live on the scene we may think we are living in the worst time in history. The following was the news at the time of my birth and what was going on in my wife's family at her birth.

In 1941 the war in Europe continued to dominate world affairs. On December 7th, 1941 two months after my birth the US was attacked at Pearl Harbor, more than 2400 American servicemen were killed that day and America entered the war. Both my mother and father had a brother in the war and they were also both missing in action. 

During these times my family subsisted on a very meager income. But they took a tremendous risk and borrowed the funds from a relative to purchase a house in the city and convert half of that double into a grocery store. They did not make a lot of money but it did provide employment for several family members. It also assured plenty of food for everyone. Most families were limited on food choices because of rations caused by the war. Customers were allowed to buy what they needed on credit. At that time there were no credit cards. It was credit on the honor system, “We know you will pay us when you can.”

In 1946 my wife's family welcomed her birth but the doctor told my father-in-law that his wife had two tumors larger than the baby and his wife was hemorrhaging. The doctor said he did not think he could save either one of them. My father in law was a man of great faith. He told the doctor “There is someone more powerful than you who’s in charge.” Here they were facing this horrendous situation. They had four children at home and had lost three infants before the birth of my wife. And there’s more! Seven years earlier their house and all their possessions were destroyed by fire. Typical of most people in those days, they had no insurance.

Our families could have had a pity party for days. The whole world was in turmoil and they were being confronted with these challenging personal situations. Neither family allowed their unfortunate circumstances to defeat or diminish them and their dreams.

My wife's father was an entrepreneur who refused to allow his heartache experiences to short circuit his dream of building a plant to manufacture smoke sausage and andouille then sell it to retail establishment. He had personally developed these recipes. The business remained in the family for three generations and was sold. Today “Veron's” smoke sausage and andouille are still manufactured by Martin Sausage Inc. in Prairieville, LA and sold to major supermarkets in the state.

The reality is we can all find excuses for not being able to pursue our dreams. I have a good excuse myself. I worked for 50 years. I could decide I don’t want new commitments! Why would I want to take the time to write and promote my positive pops website? I do it simply because it is meaningful to me. I am blessed with a wonderful family and great friends and many have encouraged me to tell my story by starting a blog. 
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I encourage you to take an opportunity this week to focus on your ancestors and how they were successful in spite of the adversities or challenges during their lifetimes. Write in your notebook the excuses you may think you have for not living the life of your dreams. In the same notebook on another page write down the dreams you want to manifest. Focus on THAT page for the next several days. Remember the quote, “The sky is not the limit. Your mind is.”