If.....Then....
"And if a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump it's ass when it hopped." How do I turn that, into a PCT (Positive CJ Thoughts) for this Saturday. I quieted my mind for a moment and THAT was what popped into my head. Don't ask how my mind works....there are people that would make a fortune studying the madness that being a Murphy is. Again, I ask myself how, in the world do I spin THAT into something positive and blog worthy. If only... The key word in that statement is "if". We hear it all the time, "if it weren't for-(insert almost anything)- then things would be different. "If, I only had more money, then... If Dump Truck wasn't holding our most revered office, then... If I'd made different decisions long ago then... If I'd only listened, then....." I could go on and on, listing a thousand different phrases. BUT stop and really look at it. How do we change "IF" into a word that holds less regret and more power? This type sentence is called a conditional statement. And we all know how we like to set conditions. The point is, HOW do we make sure that the conditions we set up, lead to the actual success of If-Then?
Last night I started on a new Lego project with my nephew. The last one took us a few months, as we only did a small bit each night. The one he got for Christmas has a lot more pieces, so I expect the same-especially since I don't see him every night. Now my point to telling you that was to explain the plan we have to put it all together. There are bags labeled with numbers that correspond to parts of the instructions. The last thing we built, he opened every bag, and dumped all the pieces making it a rather daunting task to identify things were alike in size, shape or function. It took longer to lay out a "plan of action" and in turn, build the toy, because we had to undo so much piling on or dumping. for this one, we are doing one bag at a time. Inside each bag is a series of smaller ones keeping the tiny pieces together to be integrated as we need them. We're building the characters and the basic pieces first. Each step lays a firm foundation for what is to come. We have a plan and a set of instructions created by someone much smarter than I am. The point is, piece by piece, we are using our skills to build something and using a plan for success. Fifteen years ago my wife brought me to a beautiful, but rough piece of property. Immediately, I knew someday, it would be our home. Even with all it's obstacles, "IF" we wanted that dream to come true, we had to lay out a plan of action. THEN we could watch it come to fruition. We pushed back the edges of the woods, worked on the land, drilled a well, fixed the road, dug a basement, put up walls, got the electric run, and THEN built a house. We created a plan. That plan got accelerated due to circumstances beyond our control. There were a ton of steps. Sometimes, they were small and sometimes they were giant leaps. Now, I sit here, in what I hope, is my forever home. The phrase "IF we want to live here, THEN this is what has to happen- became our plan of action. The road hasn't always been smooth and it's still not without it's obstacles. Our water well won't support the house, so we are onto the next IF/THEN project. Life is a series of "ifs-thens". Our country is no different. IF we want things to be different, THEN we must make it that way. Sometimes it's on the most basic level, with our voice and vote. Sometimes it's contributing to the causes we believe in and reaching out to those who need a hand up, not just a hand out. Be the change you want to see. Only with a swell at the grassroots level can we expect any change. Be informed, vote accordingly. Give in places where it will make the impact we want. Hold those close to you tighter and remind them how important they are to us. Give someone a soft place to land when they need it, and the kick in the ass when that's what they really need. BE THERE to hold their hand in good and bad times. Standing back wishing things to be different without action is the equivalent of expecting the impossible..like a frog not bumping his ass because he grew wings. So, my own personal IF/Then is this....IF I want to finish my work in progress, THEN I have to keep moving ahead, one line, one paragraph, one chapter at a time. Until then, I hope you will look forward to my weekly PCT's and check out my novel 'frame by frame' available on Amazon, Smashwords, CreateSpace and soon Bella Books. IF you like what you read, THEN keep watching for more PCT's and more stories coming your way.
