Our ordinary mind always tries to persuade us that we are nothing but 

Sometimes this sense of being good for nothing leads us to self-destructive behavior;  sometimes it is accompanied by self-pity.

At such times, other people's lives appear infinitely attractive, and we may fancy that there are easy solutions to our problems.

If only I had two nice children, an adoring spouse, and a house in the suburbs! we may think, or Oh, to be single and on my own in the big city!

The truth is, and we know it when we're not in a funk, that our solutions, like our problems, lie within us.

We all tend to blame other people and circumstances for our own shortcomings. That's human. But we let go of blaming if we want to grow. 

We have the power to transform every situation.

If we feel trapped by a job that seems dull or a relationship that seems lifeless, we can redefine our sense of the trap.

What do we want? What prevents our going after it? What opportunities have we overlooked? 

If we're frightened by a prospect that seems dangerous, we can turn it into a challenge, and at the same time plan realistically how to protect ourselves.

It probably takes an idiot or a saint to be consistently positive in this world of cynicism, cruelty, and corruption. 

However we may strive to free ourselves of preoccupation with things beyond our control, we all find ourselves reacting to certain events with rage, envy, fear, or other painful, destructive emotions.

But knowing we have a choice can free us from bondage to this pain.

We can choose to respond ragefully or enviously -- or we can choose to feel the feeling and then to let it go, so that the negative feeling doesn't control our behavior.

Successful living involves learning to control how we behave; if we hide or deny our feelings, they're with us forever.

 It's only by letting them go that we can be truly free. And it's only by experiencing them that we can let them go.