If you are at a place where life seems to be one be struggle then get ready for a breakthrough.

Your struggle can be a very positive thing.

You may be closer than you think to stepping into that life of freedom you have been dreaming of.

When you focus on the struggle itself, indeed it is very hard to stay positive. All you can see is the difficulty you are facing. But when you can understand what is waiting for you beyond this struggle (as long as you don’t give up) then your attitude and focus will change.

Then it will be easier to focus on the positive side of your challenges.

What is this positive side? It is the freedom that is waiting for you AFTER the struggle. This will inspire you to push on.

Remember the butterfly. It was not always a beautiful butterfly. No, it was once an ugly cocoon. There really is not too much that is "beautiful" about a cocoon right, but look what it becomes.

• A beautiful butterfly admired by hikers as they take a stroll through the woods.
• A beautiful butterfly that brings delight to a young child as they play in the garden.
• A beautiful butterfly celebrating its freedom as it flies over the meadows.

Wouldn’t you like to experience that kind of delight and freedom in your life?

As you face the times of great difficulty in your life, remember that these times are designed to prepare you for the next level in your life. A new level of freedom in your life.

In this series of articles, we are following the Affirmations of the 210 Day Affirmation Challenge which was created by John Di Lemme of Lifestyle Freedom Club. Today we are focusing on affirmation #151 which declares:

I am a beautiful butterfly struggling to

release myself from my cocoon

So how did this ugly cocoon turn into a butterfly?

Here is the secret, and it is really not a secret. Just before it was ready to become a butterfly it went through a time of intense struggle. It did not give up during this struggle. It kept pushing through until it broke out to freedom. That is the “secret”.

Here is another secret. This time of intense struggle had more than one purpose for the life of the butterfly. It was not just to transform it from that ugly cocoon into that beautiful creature we know as a butterfly.

No, that fierce push that it took to break that cocoon and be free of this confinement served well to strengthen its wings. Now it can enjoy its new freedom to the full.

It is now living a totally different life. There is no comparison between the stifled confinement it used to know as life and its new found freedom.

What a transformation. But would it have the stamina to be able to enjoy fluttering around the garden for hours on end without going through that struggle which was strengthening its wings?

You and I know the answer to this question.It needed to go through the struggle that it took to push out of the cocoon. This effort was also forming, strengthening and preparing its wings giving it the stamina to be able to enjoy its new life.

• Do you see some lessons in the life of the butterfly that you can apply to your life?
• Do you see a purpose in the struggle that you may be facing right now?
• Could it be that you are actually struggling to get out of your cocoon and find the freedom you have been dreaming about?

Today’s Challenge:

• Dare to embrace the struggle you are facing, knowing and believing that you are being transformed into that proverbial butterfly ready to enjoy the freedom of your dreams.
• Are you willing to let go of that comfortable cocoon? You will have to leave it behind in order to enjoy the freedom that is ahead.
• Take today’s affirmation and repeat it out loud several times throughout the day. Do you REALLY believe it?
• Add to this affirmation, another declaration in your own words. For example: I am determined to push through this difficulty because I know that when I do, it will lead me to a new level of freedom in my life.

I am a beautiful butterfly struggling to

release myself from my cocoon

You can declare this with confidence because:

Resource:
Every affirmation in this 210 Day Affirmation Challenge is authored by John Di Lemme, founder of the 210 Day Lifestyle Freedom Club Be sure to check out this challenge and download your free motivational mp3s and mp4 from here as well.

He kept His eyes on the goal!

(Now this is not an article about doctrine. Here I am simply taking the example of how One Man was able to endure such extraordinary circumstances in order to reach His final goal).

What was His goal? The joy set before Him (the resurrection).

The point is that He was able to continue His course without being tripped up by the obstacle of the cross BECAUSE His eyes were firmly fixed on the finish line.

So how does this help you and me? After all we were talking about the Son of God right? Yes we were, BUT remember that although He was God, He had subjected Himself to the weakness of the human body which left Him with the same advantages and disadvantages as you and me. (You can find that in Philippians 2:8).

So here are three mindsets that the man Jesus had which kept Him from being tripped up by a very BIG obstacle. If you and I learn to develop these same mindsets, we also can run our race without being tripped up by any obstacles that may cross our path.

1. His focus was on the finish line which was the joy set before Him.
Do you have a goal in life? I am sure you have many of them. Hopefully all of these goals will lead towards one big purpose. Your main purpose in life could be something like:

• I plan on leaving a great heritage for my family.
• I plan on leaving a mark on this world in the area of family relationships (or whatever area your focus or expertise may be).
• I plan on helping to advance local foundations dedicated to the education of our children.
• I plan on ….. (you fill in the gaps).

All of your short term goals will lead towards your main life’s purpose or passion. Of course some of your short term goals may be hobby related or may seem not to have anything to do with your main purpose.

However every goal you achieve will make you a better person and so will positively affect your main purpose in life.

Every achievement brings the taste of success, and this brings confidence, enthusiasm and the knowledge that you CAN do it!

Now you have your finish line fully in your focus, no matter what obstacle may cross your path it will not trip you up. Why? Because your focus is on your goal. This object of your focus is bigger than any obstacle.

The size of any problem in life is affected by how you perceive it. This is directly related to your focus.

2. He did not allow distractions.
If you did check out Hebrews 12:2, you will find that Jesus literally despised the shame of the cross. He was not going to be distracted from His final goal by focusing on any difficulty or even humiliation on the way.

When I read these verses, I visualize the following scene. An athlete is running a race with his eye on the finish line. A wasp suddenly comes swooping down to distract him. (Who likes to be stung by a wasp).

He brushes it off as if it were just a fly. It is a simple distraction not worth taking note of because his eye is fixed on the finish line.

How big are your obstacles?
Is your focus on the problem at hand or is it fixed on your goal?

Your success in overcoming will depend on your focus.

3. His focus was fixed on reaching the finish line and receiving the prize.
Do you want to reach your prize? I am sure you do.

How can you be sure you will reach your finish line?
Keep all hindrances that may cross your path in the right perspective.

How? By making sure you have your focus fixed on your goals.

If you do this, you have a great chance of reaching your finish line and receiving your prize.

No the truth is not new, but it is in more recent times that so many have come to recognize and accept the power that our thoughts and mindsets really have in mapping out our destiny. It seems that the movie “The Secret”, brought a widening interest in subjects such as “the law of attraction“, and “mindset” and the “laws of success”. All of these concepts have to do with our mindset.

Just a notation here: all of these concepts also are presenty being taught in many different and diverse ways. As more articles are added to this blog on these subjects you will discover that the key to finding and applying the real truth of these concepts is BALANCE.

The true law of attraction is all about mindset plus action = success.

The true law of attraction is NOT teaching “create your positive mindset then wait for success to fall into your lap”. You won’t find the latter concept being proclaimed in any way in this blog.

As this blog grows you WILL find many articles calling you to a positive mindset PLUS action.

So what exactly IS a mindset?

Several years ago I spent many hours doing a study of a hebrew word “Yetser” and found that it means:

form, framing, purpose, framework
1. form
2. pottery

graven image
1. man (as formed from the dust)
2. purpose, imagination, device (intellectual framework)

The first place this word is used in the Bible is in Genesis 6:5 (the story of Noah and the great flood).

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The word imagination is translated from this hebrew word “Yetser”.

It was not what man had already done that God judged, it was what they were about to do!

What made it certain they were about to do these things? Their imaginations (or the frameworks of their actions) were already in place.

Everything we do is first planned in our minds and these plans are built on the framework or foundation found in our minds which are our mindsets! Mindset also includes prejudices or prejudging. It is the framework of all of our actions, our reactions and our decisions in life.

So – how does this work in your life and my life?

Let’s look at a an example:
Have you ever done something, and then wondered why on earth you did that? Now just how can one say that EVERYTHING we do is planned in our minds beforehand, when we can do something “out of character”? Or we make a decision or commitment and then wonder why we did that!

Can we really do something “out of character”, or could it be we have some parts of our character that are hidden waiting to ambush us?

Confession Time

One day a few years ago, I “decided” I wanted a Hyundai and went to check on their prices. When I arrived at the sales yard a salesman was there leaning on the rail watching me drive up. Of course he spoke to me, and of course it was near impossible to get away from him and “just look”. They did not have Hyundais available but there were some “nice Chryslers” and just the right price for my pocket book (or so I was convinced).

Before I knew it, I left my trusty Ford behind and drove out in a Chrysler I did not REALLY want. It did not take me long to ask myself the question, Why did I do that? What? Yes that was a tough lesson! This is an extreme example perhaps, but it really happened!

Who’s To Blame?

Of course it would be easy to blame the high pressured salesman! But he was not the culprit. There was a hidden mindset still lurking in my subconscious waiting to pounce and trip me up. It was a mindset of insecurity that allowed me to believe that someone else may know better than I did about what I needed. What a tough lesson (the car turned out to be faulty, it rolled on me in Mexico 5 weeks later. I was left with no car and a huge bill, AND it could have cost me my life! – I will never drive a Chrysler again).

Checklist

• Have you ever been “sold” a product by a salesman you did not really want or could afford?

• Have you ever done something “out of character”?
• Have you ever made a decision and then regretted it?
• Have you ever made a commitment and then when you were fulfilling it you found yourself complaining all the way?
• Have you ever made a commitment and then started looking for ways to break the commitment?

If any of the above apply to you please come back and visit us here at Mindset For Living as we explore ways to change our mindsets and enjoy a life of freedom and health.

If none of the above apply to you please come back and contribute to this blog so others will be helped to find the life you are enjoying.

Please tell us about your experiences and make comments below. We would love to hear from you and your experiences may well help someone else!

To be a champion, we need to make sure we have a champion mindset.

So don’t forget -