Things You'll Need:
- Free Will
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Step 1
Realize That The Choice Is Yours - Hell is a prison of your own making. It is your fears and desires that hinder and torture you. I used to get into fights a lot because I felt the need to prove myself, but it just made me more angry and frustrated. So I let it go and, oddly enough, the opportunities to fight also seemed to disappear.
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Step 2
Realize That You Deserve To Be Happy - You need to be on your own side. Others may or may not always agree with you, but you should at least be your own best ally. I used to be very disappointed with myself because I couldn't seem to do anything right, until I realized that I needed at least one friend and I might as well start with me.
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Step 3
Get To Know Yourself - It helps the friendship with yourself if you know what your attributes are. Do you like art, philosophy, science, sports, entertainment, what? I never even knew I liked writing until I tried it.
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Step 4
Forgive Yourself - Like a true friend who overlooks your faults, do the same for yourself. We all make mistakes and sometimes we even make the same ones twice, but usually because we never forgave ourselves for doing it in the first place. I used to be a smoker and yet I never really enjoyed it, but it was just what I did. I finally forgave myself for being so silly as to start and little by little the compulsion left me until it was gone.
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Step 5
Realize It's Never Too Late - Free Will is a powerful thing and never leaves you. There is always the chance to change as long as you exist. No one can make you do something you don't want to do if you choose otherwise. This works throughout your life (and even in the afterlife for those eternally-minded). All the scriptures agree that Free Will is forever and if that be so then it's never too late. And even before all that, choice stays with us as long as we elect to use it. I used to drink whenever other people drank (and sometimes by myself) because I felt I needed it, but then I made the bold move of not drinking when others were doing it and I realized I only had to do what my best friend (me!) wanted to do. It was very liberating and not just about drinking and smoking, but everything.
Comments
GeoffreyMe said
on 1/17/2009 Thanks a lot! And it's my pleasure!
insidestory said
on 1/17/2009 Great article! Free will is always good to have, we always have choices. Thank you so much! :)
GeoffreyMe said
on 12/9/2008 Thank you so much, MotherDove! My only hope is that I can learn from my own mistakes (and if that can help others then that's a bonus!) Thanks again!
MotherDove said
on 12/9/2008 This is so nicely written - not to mention inspirational and too true! I was enjoying just reading it so much I had to go back and contemplate the points you were making. Very wise and encouraging piece, GeoffreyMe. Bravo!
GeoffreyMe said
on 11/11/2008 More literary than literal since I only know Hell from books, but those same books do mention the eternal extent of Free Will and that in itself may fill Life in the here and now with, perhaps, hopeful abandon. Think Eternally, Act Presently.