The other day, I was having a conversation with an acquaintance who was looking for a new job. She was grateful to have a job, but felt utterly unfulfilled in her current position. She was looking for something that would make her some money AND make her happy (which is possible - eff what you heard).
Knowing that fulfillment struggle all too well, I asked her what she was doing to make her dreams a reality. Her response was:
"Oh, I'm praying on it."
I nodded, and asked her what else was she doing - to which she replied, "Nothing - I just keep praying that a breakthrough will come."
I had to sit her down and politely tell her to Wake. The. Hell. Up.
The power of prayer and positive thought is incredible. I believe that you attract what you put out - so the more positivity you give off, the more you will receive. Praying, meditating, positive intention and visualization have all helped me to get every job I've had, get through every struggle I've had, and has made it so that when things are good, they become GREAT. However, relying on the mental and spiritual work without doing the physical work probably won't result in too many successes.
It's not enough to simply think positively, wish for a change, and pray to whatever respective deity you believe in. Granted, there are times in life when it seems like the results we desire are beyond any personal control we may have. I've been in those situations as well, and that's when I've really had to rely on the powers of prayer. However, for the most part, if you truly WANT something, I believe you also have to go out there and put some sweat (literal or figurative) into it to reap the benefits.
So many people are looking for jobs. Are you on your Workopolis/Monster/Classified Section grind? Are you out on the scene networking? Are you working on getting a mentor to help you get where you need to be? Are you volunteering or taking supplementary courses to get the knowledge and experience you need? Are you tailoring your resumes to each specific job, or just sending out the same generic one you've had forever?
People are out here tryin' to get chose. Are you approaching AND being approachable? Are you over your past relationships? Do you keep going back to the same musty, lying, cheating, no-ambition-having, neglectful partners that you've had in the past? Are you happy with yourself so that someone else can be happy with you?
People are trying to break bad habits. Praying for God to take that cigarette out of your mouth might not be enough. Using visualization techniques to imagine yourself losing those last few pounds probably won't do it. You have to put the work in to see the results. Start using a nicotine patch, or work on cutting down the smokes. Get up and hit the gym, or click here for my personal fitness routine faves. Wishing away a bad habit or unfavourable practice won't magically cure you - but positive thinking, introspection, and HARD WORK will get you to where you need to be.
As for the convo with my acquaintance, she felt that I was downplaying the positive effects of prayer, and told me that she "functioned through faith."
I let her know that faith was an integral part of my personal successes, but I ascribed to another train of thought as well: "God only helps those who help themselves"...but maybe that's just me.
What say you? Have you found success by solely having faith and thinking positively? What's your coping method when faced with a struggle or reaching for a goal?