It sounds a little silly, knowing what we do about real life. Yet, many of us have some strange thoughts about ourselves vs. other people we knew in high school, say, or some people we see at work who can do no wrong. Perhaps you’ve known someone who seems to succeed at everything they do; maybe there is a salesperson who kicks everyone else’s butt at work and drives you mad with jealousy. What has this person got that you don’t, you wonder to yourself.

Well, the answer is not the obvious one (they are way cooler, smarter, have things more easy than you). There are things going on under the surface that you don’t  about, having to do with alignment and attitude.

First, anyone who has more of what they want than you do is, quite simply, more mentally and emotionally aligned with their desires than you are with yours. It doesn’t matter if you think you are a kinder, better person and they don’t deserve a thing they have. Life and the Universe do not respond to need or want, they respond to alignment: if you are right in line emotionally and mentally with having what you want – no limiting beliefs about how you can’t have or do it – then it will come to you. Sometimes all it takes is believing we are worthy, and many people suffer with an internal lack of worth. We are ALL fabulous, creative beings worthy of abundance, but we don’t all believe that about ourselves, now do we?

The second reason people get what they want, aside from certain skill sets, of course, is attitude. In fact, even with all the skills in the world, if you don’t think people will accept you or if you act in a way that turns people off and sends them away, you will not experience success. One exception is the absolutely brilliant – the prodigy – but this is rare and likely not you nor I. That salesperson at work may go out on 10 times more calls than you do, while you sit at your desk fearing rejection or summoning up the nerve to makes phone calls. That super athlete in high school may have spent his nights practicing his sport while the rest of you went partying. If not, there is still something inside that person that believes they will win, and this is crucial. Whatever happens, they believe they can overcome it and instead of looking at things as obstacles they see challenges to push right through.

How can this information help you? With one small tip, which will make dealing with setbacks and disappointments much easier for you. That tip is — decide ahead of time that you will bend and not break. This is not something many people give forethought to, and will help you immensely. In the heat of the moment when something you perceive as disappointing happens, it helps to have made a prior decision to roll with it. You will find strength and flexibility in your decision, and you will be able to draw on it in times of need.

Everything that happens can be looked at in many ways, and often things that happen turn out to have been in your highest interest, bringing you closer to that which you said you wanted. Having decided ahead of time that you will remain calm, and bounce back no matter what happens, you will soon be one of those people that others envy from afar!