YOU ARE

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YOU ARE BOOK TWO

Copyright © 2012 by Ashley Burrough.All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.ISBN-10: 0-8227-5420-7

Manufactured in the United States of America Designed by Ashley Burrough

Distributed by Chronicle Books LLC.

Chronicle Books LLC680 Second Street San Francisco, California 94107 www.chroniclebooks.com

Life is not waitingfor you while you wait to soak in whatever nourishment you think you need to face it. Life goes on being life.

—Laura Horton

will never be absolutely ideal for doing everything as planned; there’s not enough time, money, or support, things get complicated;

as though your opportunity has long been closed. Life can throw some disheartening blows, but you are not the prey of fate, nor the victim of circumstance.

you feel stuck,

Your circumstances

You do not have to be someone, somewhere else to enjoy the fullest version

of your life.

There are things to be loved, to be seen, and in need of being done where you are,

All of these things continue to quietly shine amidst your situ-ation, waiting for you to adorn fresh eyes and experience them as they truly are.

just as you are.

turmoilInstead of saying of everyone and every-thing, “Why aren’t my needs being met?” We must ask “What are the needs of this person, place, or this particular situation, and what do I have to offer that can help to meet those needs?”

When you take a proactive approach, you are empowering yourself and others as opposed to enabling excuses, apathy, or victimization that can easily occur when a person feels stuck or overwhelmed.

YOUR INNER

If you want something truly good in life,

you have to fight for it.

By actively choosing to make a positive impact on your circumstances you are learning and exercising your strengths while improving upon life within your area of influence.

Once you have been forced into stillness,

If you only ever consider how things and people can help you, then everyone and everything you encounter will only be satisfying or valuable to a point. You will run from place to place, from one thing to the next until circumstances have forced you to be still.

there will be no satis-faction or contentment; places will bore you, people will bother you, and things will annoy you to no end. What value is there in a life of that sort?

It is a kind of dead end, to be so inwardly self-seeking that you

can’t see the light that illuminates all around you.

Once you have been forced into stillness,

EVENTUALLY

WE ARE ALL FORCED

TO BECOME STILL— IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF

WHEN.

t h e

Life has decided, if only for a season, that we will have no choice but to stay put and face life as it really is; all the bitter and sweet in one great wave.{ }

OUR LIVES ARE NOT SOME SPINNING

MADNESS OF COLOR & L IGHTS

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE WHEN RIDING A CARNIVAL RIDE OR A CAROUSEL.

Life is the ride; it is the view once all things have ceased to spin.

OUR LIVES ARE NOT SOME SPINNING

MADNESS OF COLOR & L IGHTS

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE WHEN RIDING A CARNIVAL RIDE OR A CAROUSEL.

Ask yourself what you’ve been pushing aside or making excuses for each time it comes to mind. Begin, one task at a time, taking the steps to making those prolonged thoughts into a reality in the here and now.

You can’t change what has already happened, but you can find satisfaction beyond allowing feelings, excuses, or obstacles to hold you back.

anymoreOR CONVINCE YOURSELF that the door has closed.

DON'T WAIT

with every ounce of strength that is in you, find your contentment where you are, and cease any kind of “grass is greener” mentality. If you are going to beg for greener grass, you must expect more rain.

You must,

meanyou have talents and abilities that can truly enrich the lives of those around you. It simply means investing in the people you know and actually caring enough to ask, listen, experience, and to learn who they are; be it a family member, neighbor, or co-worker.

Start with one or two people you find yourself around most often and ask how they are. How are their children, their significant other, their weekend; learn their story and life perspective.

SO WHAT DOES THAT

Your story is unique;

the vulnerability of investing in others. Life can be fragile, but also beautiful. That same beauty is offered in abundance when we extend an open hand to it by choosing to give and do instead of pitying, remaining apathetic, or constantly taking.

Do not fear

Take into account that great love and

great achievements take great risk.

—The Dali Lama

We cannot project our baggage of pains, regrets, or unfulfilled expecta-tions onto the present moment of our lives, or we will filter everything through disappointment.

Choose to grow from the past,to not be hardened by it. Let it mold you and teach you to make better mistakes. Allow the very breath in your lungs to be a testament of great hope for the moment, filling you with every bit of boldness and strength you need to live and love well with the life you have now.

U N C O M M O N A D V E N T U R E for T H E C O M M O N B E I N G