We all have to make compromises and often, quite a lot of them. We understand this. We accept it. We recognise that others, in turn, have to make compromises for us. None of this poses a problem. Compromises don't really compromise us! But when does a compromise become a sacrifice? When we find ourselves realising that we need to let go of something we very much wish we could hang on to. Either a sacrifice can be somehow avoided or it has to be wholeheartedly embraced.
We can't always be sure about what the consequences of our actions are likely to be. Nor can we always be confident about the moves we have previously made. What did they really lead to? What might have happened anyway? In the physical world, such connections are much easier to establish. In the realm of emotion and psychology, who can really say anything with certainty? There are some things now, that you simply can't be blamed for and others that you may yet be thankful for, regardless of what you may currently fear.
They say, 'Heaven helps those who help themselves.' Some people seem to infer from this that it is fine to help yourself to whatever you need. They imagine that if they do, heaven will help them! That's the wrong interpretation. Heaven doesn't help the greedy - nor the needy. But it does help those who recognise that they have a need and are doing all that they can to get that need under control. Heaven really helps those who heal themselves. Your effort to heal a wound will attract much cosmic assistance.
Do you learn from your mistakes? Why, of course, you do. So why then, do you sometimes find yourself doing things that you once vowed you would never do again? Every so often, we are all mistaken about what we deem to be a mistake. We may realise, long after an event has concluded, that there have been long-term benefits that made the upside count for more than the downside. Changing your mind should never be seen as a sign of weakness or inconsistency. Very often, it is evidence of profound depth and wisdom.
Truths may be hard to face or difficult to understand but they are never complicated. When life gets confusing and situations begin to seem convoluted it is generally because, rather than confront a truth, we are creating intricate explanations and justifications that somehow shield us from the very thing that we most need to see. If a story seems to have far too many twists and turns or a strategy is built upon a series of ifs buts and maybes, might it be because something fundamental is being overlooked.
To whom does the world belong? Is there a little discreet label somewhere near the North (or South) Pole that bears the maker's name? Perhaps that's what the great explorers were looking for when they set off towards those remote destinations. Debates still rage about who or what we have to thank for the existence of this planet. But there really can be no debate about who the creation is dedicated to. It is yours - at least as much as it is anyone else's!
 We may look at a picture and think, 'This is so well painted, I could see something new in it every time I look, for ever.' We may have a similarly rapturous response to a piece of music or a well-written book. It's great to feel that something has depth and merit, even complexity and subtle magic. But it is only great to feel that way if what you are looking at is a work of art. It is certainly not okay to have such a response to a fear, a problem or a source of trouble. One situation in your life now, deserves less of your attention, not more.
Sales people are always friendly. They would hate to deter a potential customer by speaking to them gruffly. Is it therefore safe to conclude from this that all friendly people are trying to sell you something? In order to protect ourselves from false friendliness, we don't have to become hostile. We can be equally friendly in return. We just have to remember that friendly behaviour doesn't automatically warrant generous, careless or extravagant actions.
Even when Shakespeare is not being misquoted, he is often misunderstood. Take, for example, the line uttered by Hamlet's mother, 'The lady doth protest too much.' That phrase is often used to describe someone whose overly avid insistence of innocence indicates their guilt. Yet the word 'protest' had a different meaning back then. So it would be wrong for me to include that quote in giving instance. Even so, somewhere  a denial may be more accurately interpreted as an admission. 
We all have a tendency to see what we want to see and to hear what we want to hear. We can be particularly adept at filtering out veiled criticisms or arguments that seem to undermine some of our most basic beliefs. It is a good defence mechanism but then, so is a fortress. It keeps away unwelcome intruders yet it also deters visitors that we might benefit greatly from receiving. Don't be afraid of making a discovery. From what you are about to find out, you stand to gain far more than you stand to lose from it.
You left the aeroplane some while ago when you jumped out of the door. And yes, that is the earth rising up, way below, rising up to greet you. Quite understandably, you feel tense. The experience is undeniably unnerving but let us stop for a moment and ask a crucial question. Is that a parachute strapped to your back? And when you pull the cord does it billow out nicely? The experience of terror can sometimes be remarkably close to the experience of exhilaration but you are much safer than you think.
Too often, we use the word 'impossible' when we really mean 'incredibly difficult'. We can see that a task is likely to prove problematic and we can decide that the amount of effort, plus the level of risk that may be incurred, is sufficient to justify the use of that 'i-word'. That's all well and good, unless we fall so far into that habit that we become unable to distinguish between those two conditions. If you really want to make something happen this week, you probably can. But it won't be easy. Are you sure you've got the energy for it?