Flourishing Life Society
  • Flourishing Life Society
    • Addiction Recovery
    • Books to Flourish
    • Human Flourishing
    • Mindfulness Archive
    • Personal Development >
      • Personal Development Archive
    • Non-Profit Donation Links
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Basic Emotions >
      • Emotional Data Base
      • Emotional Fitness
    • Psychology Article Archive
  • Flourishing Relationships
    • Intimate Relationship Articles >
      • Repair Attempts
    • Society and Others Archive >
      • Politics Archive
  • Health and Fitness
  • About Us
  • Link Page
Home | Personal Development | Invitations to Change

Invitations to Change

Subtle Messages from Life

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | November 2018 (edited October 19, 2021)
A picture of a flowering garden with gardening tools, symbolizing beauty and work. A Flourishing Life Society article on personal development
Adobe Stock Images
When life goes wrong, view the displeasure as an invitation to change.
Life continually sends invitations for change. When our garden starts to wither, and flowers cease to bloom, we shouldn’t blame the sun or the clouds. The garden of our soul calls for attention. To flourish, our souls need compassionate tending. We must trim the flowers, fertilize the soil and drive out the pests. As a flourishing garden quickly declines without care, so does the grandness of our souls. We must give compassionate care to flourish.

Struggle Suggests a Need for Change

When relationships become stale, employment stalls, and our sense of well-being stagnates, we must heed the signals, welcoming the invitations for change. We can bitterly deny or ruthlessly blame for these displeasures, many do. Our futures march forward, we are the ones to experience the outcomes of today. The mess by happenstance or the order by design is dependent upon our actions of today.
"We can bitterly deny or ruthlessly blame for these displeasures, many do. Our futures march forward, we are the ones to experience the outcomes of today."

Do We Listen for Subtle Messages of Changes?

How do you respond to the quiet invitations for change? Do you do more of the same? Do you become angry at your hand in life? Or do you seek errors in your ways, the areas in need of attention?
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."
Barack Obama
​Habits, addictions and avoidance invade our souls and destroy the beautiful leaves and flowers, preventing growth, and inviting decay. We must give heed to these invitations, look a little deeper, search our souls, discover our feelings, and convert these discoveries into improved action. We can sit back in laziness, justify the failures, sorrowing over our circumstances. This is the choice of many.
"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves."
Viktor E. Frankl
​Life will not tire; it will continue to send invitations to change, increasing the intensity of the notice as the failures accumulate, and destruction accelerates. We must act before demise is certain. When time passes and only sorrows and regrets remain, we must see the evidence—we need to change. Yet, we are stubborn. Millions of others thrive in the environments we condemn. The world doesn't need to change (although we work to change it). We need to adapt to succeed in the environment surrounding us.
​

Pull on the gloves, grab the tools and go to work.

(Adapted and Edited from FLS 2011 post)
Please support Flourishing Life Society with a social media share or by visiting a link:
Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings that contribute to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

Index:

Flourishing in Life
  • Personal Development
  • Addiction Recovery
  • Wellness 
Psychology of Wellness
  • Emotions​
  • Personality
  • Defense Mechanisms
Flourishing Relationships
  • Intimate/Romance
  • Parent/Child
  • Society
Health and Fitness
Key Word Archives
Research
About Flourishing Life
Wellness Links:
External Link: How to deal with failure
External Link: How To Cope Under Pressure
External Link: Coping: When Darkness Captivates your Soul: 5 Ways to Release yourself from Depression.
External Link: Psychology Today. Lifestyle Choices That Can Save Your Brain,
External Link. Greater Good. Become a Friend to Yourself
External Link. 3 Strategies For Beating Self-Sabotaging Behaviors
External Link. How to Achieve Big Goals

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

Opportunity Mindset. Looking for and Taking Advantage of Opportunities. A Flourishing Life Society article link
FLS internal Link. Any Old Excuse: The merry-go-round hell of sobriety and relapse traps many in a perpetual fall. Life graciously provides difficulties to excuse the falls and soften the shame; but the recovery that lasts, sheds the excuse, looks addiction head on, and gets off the frightening ride.
As adults, we can create better surroundings to encourage our continued growth. Some do the opposite, surround themselves with others and influences that begin the process of decay.
FLS Link: Change is a four-letter word. We are threatened by the need to adapt; but successful maneuvering through the complex demands of an ever-moving world requires a flexing and adaptable approach. We must change, sacrificing some of our specialness for a happier and better existence.
Internal FLS link. Noble Eightfold Path: Ancient Buddhist wisdom that provides a practical guide for growth in the modern world.
Futures depend on action following thought. We must do more than dream to build better lives.
Trying to feel better is a formidable challenge for many. The well-being industry has many theories. Success requires finding proven paths and patiently working towards a better life.
Action, we need action. We can't wait for opportunities, we must work to find them, and then courageously follow the unknown paths to betterment.
A Dark Past. A Bright Present
Life has many wonderful parts; but it isn't always beautiful. As we work to improve, we must be patient and compassionate, working through the stubborn difficulties of self-improvement.
A Flourishing Life Society article link. A New Relationship with Reality
FLS Link. Courage to Change.
Picture
The Power of Consciousness can evaluate futures and make adaptations, changing impulsive directions.
Flourishing Life Society article link. Ask the Universe
A Flourishing Life Society Link. What is Healthy Living?
A Flourishing Life Society article link to Invitations to Change
Picture
Flourishing Life Society
  • Human Flourishing
  • Psychology of Wellness
  • Flourishing Relationships
  • Psychology Definitions​
​Other Links
  • About US
  • Companion Site​
  • Most Popular Articles
  • Psychology Topics A-z
Articles:
  • New Articles​
  • Last year's Publications​
​Favorites:
  • Self-Actualization
  • Emotional Safety
  • Alexithymia
  • ​Emotional Detachment
  • Masochistic Personality
  • Reciprocal Deteminism ​
News Letter

    New Article Updates

Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Flourishing Life Society
    • Addiction Recovery
    • Books to Flourish
    • Human Flourishing
    • Mindfulness Archive
    • Personal Development >
      • Personal Development Archive
    • Non-Profit Donation Links
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Basic Emotions >
      • Emotional Data Base
      • Emotional Fitness
    • Psychology Article Archive
  • Flourishing Relationships
    • Intimate Relationship Articles >
      • Repair Attempts
    • Society and Others Archive >
      • Politics Archive
  • Health and Fitness
  • About Us
  • Link Page