Because vs. If

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford 1863 – 1947 How many times have you uttered the words “I can’t because…”? It’s a phrase I hear often — and I confess, I’ve been guilty of using it too. Our brains are hardwired to believe it’s okay to pass on doing something if we have an acceptable excuse. So as long as we can find a good enough reason, we have no trouble saying, “I can’t, because….” If we only used this phrase for unavoidable conflicts, it would be okay. Unfortunately, that’s not …
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Life is hard

Suffering is our psychological resistance to what happens. Events may create physical pain, but they do not in themselves create suffering. Resistance creates suffering. Dan Millman 1946 – If your childhood was anything like mine, you grew up hearing fairy tales and absorbing lessons from them. Most of these children’s stories have a common beginning: “Once upon a time…” They also tend to have a common ending: “And they all lived happily ever after.” While my childhood was far from ideal, there was one theme that was continually repeated: someday, things will be better. Here are some of the thoughts …
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Are you using the wrong yardstick?

In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. Bertrand Russell 1872 – 1970 It’s not uncommon to want to evaluate ourselves and our performance. It’s human nature to want to know how we stack up compared to others. But everything we do must be judged in context. To use an athletic example, if you talk about running a 10K, your completion time isn’t meaningful unless you consider your skill level: a poor time for a pro might be an excellent finish for an amateur. …
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