One of the Greatest Gifts From God... or The Universe... Whatever. Just Read It!

This morning I found myself completely frustrated. I woke up sore from a workout I did 3 days ago, I didn't plan out the day, and the kitchen was filthy! I was washing my dishes listening to a motivational video on Youtube the one below actually! (listen later I have some great stuff here today)

I was standing there washing the dishes thinking about all the things needed to get done today. One of which was not this blog, but I felt as though I needed to share this message with someone. There was a line in the video where Will Smith says "Pain is necessary, because it will show you who you really are!". I started to think to myself maybe pain, frustration, failure, and fatigue are all really just one amazing gift from God or the Universe or whatever.

I started to delve deeper into that thought... while still washing the dishes.

"How can Pain, Fear, Failure, and Fatigue be the greatest gift god can give me?", and this is what I came up with to share with you.

Like any gift that you get from someone its usually wrapped. You have no idea what is inside, you can look at it make a guess at what is in there, but most likely you will guess wrong. Its when you are able to unwrap the gift and see whats inside when you truly see the gift. The gifts that we receive from god are wrapped and amazingly disguised as Pain, Failure, and Fear. Now, what you do with those gifts is completely up to you. God gave you the ability to choose... congrats! There are 3 options that you can take each option leads down a separate path and different outcome. The question now is "What are the 3 options Ashton?" Right? here we go!

Option One: You Never Open The Gift

sorry for the Christmas pic... it was all I could find

98% of people choose this option... Why? I have no idea... maybe because it takes to much time? I don't know, but I do know what happens when you choose this option. You end up resenting the gift because it takes up space in you home or even worse you end up caring it around with you everywhere, because you have no idea where to put it or where to use it. Now you are starting to use metal, physical, and emotional energy carrying this THING around telling yourself... one day I will open this, but I have all these other things I need to do in my life. All the while God notices you need something to take your life to the next level.. and hey here is another gift for you! Thanks god, just what I needed another thing to carry around my house. You eventually end up resenting god for bringing more things into your life, you are frustrated with the anyone who asks you why you are caring it around. You start using it as an excuse to why you can to something or go somewhere. Are you starting to get the picture... don't be like the other 98% who shoos not to open the gift!

Option two: You Open the Gift- Utilize It

This is what all successful people do! They simply open the gift. The great thing about opening the gift is now you know what is inside. In some cases you will be able to use that gift to skyrocket your success in the here and now. The surprising thing here is most of the time the gift that you receive is not useful right away in your life at the moment. Here is a great example.

Think this... but pink!

When I married my wife Brittany we moved in together for the first time. We were unpacking her boxes and I found this cool pink tool belt with pliers, screwdrivers, a level, and measuring tape. I asked "Baby whats this? Where did you get this?" with a smile on my face. Turning around squinting to look at what I had in my hand. She said "Oh that's my tool belt, my dad bought it for me when I was a kid.". I replied back... "When you were a kid? why?". She laughed and said "He told me that one day I was going to move out, and I was going to need this for things around the house." He was preparing her for things she would need in the future... and boy did it come in handy when we were handing the photos, fixing the doors, and really just anything we needed done around the apartment.

Just like this story, you will probably be given a gift that may seem strange or un-necessary in the moment. You will not know how to use it, but at some point in your life you will be able to look back and use it to get through a new challenge that will be easier to overcome with that gift you received way back when.

Option Three: Open It Use It and Share It With Someone Else

A life of significance and fulfillment all stems from this option. Only a few select people choose this option. Sometimes we even get a gift and we think... "I will never use this!" Have you ever gotten a gift from someone and thought to yourself... "they might as well have not bought me anything, this thing is stupid/ sucks/ is ugly".We don't like to share our gifts either with others or even think about how it could benefit someone else. At the end of the day every gift serves a purpose that it be for your use now or later. The most important thing to note is that sometimes the gift was also made to be share with someone else.

Here is the learning lesson. If you are dealing with pain, frustration, a struggle, fear, or fatigue, and you have not taken the time to unwrap it and understand whats inside. Take the time today to do that. To unwrap these gifts all you need to do is ask "What can I learn from this failure, mistake, pain, and frustration?" Stop carrying it around with you. Find ways to use them, learn from them and eventually share them with others. If you truly want to live a life of significance, success, and freedom learn how to unpack your struggles, fears, pains, and have the courage and humility to share them with others. I hope this was helpful! Please show your support and thoughts in the comments below!

#giftfromgod #personaldevlopment #growthroughpain #besignificant #successmindset #unpackyourgifts