The Incomparable Mary J. Blige! Happy Birthday Mary!
Greetings Friends,
I was listening to one of those online radio stations and heard Mary J. Blige’s song “Each Tear”. It is a very inspirational song about learning from the mistakes we’ve made and not giving up on a dream (at least that’s what I got from the song).
A few days ago my youngest daughter came to me and my wife to discuss a situation she was having with her new boyfriend (she just turned 16 and was frantic about finally being able to date … I digress). While she was not in tears about the issue anyone could see she wasn’t that far from “letting it all out”. The wife and I told her that 1. the situation will pass and you will survive it, 2. the boyfriend has to be made aware of her feelings and given an opportunity to make amends and finally 3. if he cannot or will not make amends then she may have to consider moving on without him in her life. Pretty heavy stuff for a 16 year old - or anyone for that matter – to consider.
Mary’s song alludes to several key milestones on the road to maturity:
Rising again (and again) when we meet with failure – As much as we’d like to escape the experience of failure it is something embedded into the fabric of our very existence. Why? It is through our failures that we learn to succeed. We take what we’ve observed, remove what didn’t work and apply new things until we achieve success.
Their is no “do over” button – We cannot take back the things we’ve done in the past, but that’s OK. That’s why those things should stay in the past. While life does not offer us a redo button it is conveniently equipped with an edit function allowing us to review and make changes to existing situations based on past actions. I’ll be the first to admit that I press that button … often!
That which does not kill you … – Another thing that we seldom think about is the the impact of a seemingly negative situation on our daily lives. For every instance of a “bad” thing we experience in our lives there is a counter-balance of “good”. Sayings like “it’s always darkest before the dawn” stem from this realization. If we focus our attention on the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel we will experience a shift in our thought patterns and realize that we are made of sterner stuff than we give ourselves credit for. Additionally, by purifying ourselves in the fires of life’s trials we burn away all doubt and fear and are left stronger, more capable of meeting – and overcoming – life’s challenges head on with an almost god-like level of determination.
Love will conquer all – When all else fails, just knowing that we have the love and support of our family and friends can turn the tide in our favor regardless of the issue. More importantly than that, self-love allows us to understand that we are worthy of better and cheers us on as we continue to fight for our happiness. Cultivating a healthy daily dose of love. self-love or otherwise, gives us the strength we need to face whatever life throws our way.
Mary’s album “Stronger with Each Tear” is in stores now. Visit her official site here or connect with her on Facebook.
Today’s Meditate on This Message is:
Life’s lessons are my teachers and I willingly learn from them.
Have a PERFECT day!
Michael Stagg
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