Tuesday 4 June 2013

Do you know the score? The more sure you feel of the mountain that you are trying to climb, the more likely it is that you are in danger of missing a crucial foothold. You face no challenge that you cannot rise to, no difficulty that you cannot overcome. Yet you need more information than you currently have. Be alert, but don't be anxious. Be confident about your ability to find out what you need to know but not so confident as to assume somehow that you already know it. Soon, you won't just know the score; you will settle it.
Most things are easy once you know how. The tricky bit is to work out how! That can take a lifetime. When we have the benefit of hindsight, we can't believe what took us so long - or cost us so much - or caused us so much anxiety. But then, that's perspective for you. It's a wonderful thing. Don't wait till tomorrow to summon yours. All you have to do is think yourself forward in time. Imagine how you will feel in a few weeks, months or years. What will you probably know then that you don't know yet? 
When things are easy we forget they were ever difficult. Everything feels just right in a very natural, reassuring way. Our memories of more awkward experiences rapidly fade. 'Ah,' we sigh, 'at last, things are as they should be. Let's hope they stay this way forever. ' But, of course, they don't. Indeed, sometimes, they get worse more quickly when we start to worry about them getting worse! Here comes a rare, precious gift. Don't fear it, doubt it, question it or worry how long it will last. Just appreciate it and make the most of it. 
Some people stare at their TV screens all day, watching the rolling news. Others get the merest occasional glimpse of a headline. Who can say which group is better informed? Even those who keep right up to date, are only up to date with what those who set the news agenda choose to tell them about. In your world now, misleading reports are effectively warping your view of a key situation. Don't confuse information with understanding. 
Centuries of ignorance and insensitivity have produced a culture of 'the tough exterior'. We are taught to feel that it is, somehow, weak to reveal deep emotion or genuine concern. Even those who profess to wear their heart on their sleeve, find it much easier to discuss some delicate matters than others. Thus, we live in a world full of people who never stop talking, yet who rarely say anything of any great meaning to one another. You can now hold a very constructive dialogue if you are willing to concede a little vulnerability.

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