By Iris Richard
When the thought first crossed my mind that I should make a New Year’s resolution to keep a daily journal, I immediately dismissed it. Too many past resolutions had fallen by the wayside, and I could foresee ending the year with a journal full of empty pages. I also didn’t have time for another project, I told myself. However, I had recently completed a counseling course in which keeping a journal was a requirement. The instructor had emphasized making a habit of recording thoughts, ideas, plans, experiences, worries, fears, and victories. It was an important step toward self-awareness, he explained, and that is crucial to being able to help someone else sort out their problems. I decided to give it a fair try, and I’m glad I did. I chose a journal that had a thought-provoking quote and Bible verse at the bottom of each day’s page, and I committed to spending 15 minutes each day writing in it. Here are some of the benefits I have already experienced:
At the end of each month I review and summarize the highlights, which gives me a better idea of how things are going, what challenges or obstacles came up and how they were resolved, which prayers were answered, what progress was made toward my goals, which decisions or plans I followed through on, etc. Looking back I can wholeheartedly say that journaling was worth the effort. The filled-out pages of my journal for the year are now a treasure chest of ideas, thoughts, lessons, revelations, achieved goals, and answered prayers. You can start a journal any time of the year and if you let time pass by just start again in the same book. I have an ongoing journal that spans the space of four years. Just keep trying and see the benefits for yourself. (Adapted from the Activated magazine.)
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“Training for strength and flexibility is a must. You must use it to support your techniques. Techniques alone are no good if you don’t support them with strength and flexibility.” — Bruce Lee
“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.”—Will Smith “To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.” — Bruce Lee “To know ten thousand things, know one well.” — Miyomoto Musashi “'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” — Unknown Author “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” — Abraham Lincoln “Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.” — Agnes De Mille “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King Jr. “Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “Nothing needs reforming so much as other people's habits.” — Mark Twain Quote of the day:
"Your potential lies ahead of you—whether you’re 8, 18, 48, or 80. You still have room to improve yourself. You can become better tomorrow than you are today."—John C. Maxwell Think about it: We all have regrets but it’s better to live in the present than think about the past as John C. Maxwell retells in the allegory that his friend shared with him. A significant hindrance to living life in the present is regret. It saps people’s energy and leaves little that enables them to do anything positive. My friend Dwight Bain emailed me something called “The City of Regret” that tells the whole story: I had not really planned to take a trip this year, yet I found myself packing anyway. And off I went, dreading it. I was on another guilt trip. I booked my reservation on Wish I Had airlines. I didn’t check my bags—everyone carries their baggage on this airline. I had to drag it for what seemed like miles in the Regret City airport. And I could see that people from all over the world were there with me, limping along under the weight of bags they had packed themselves. I caught a cab to Last Resort Hotel, the driver taking the whole trip backward, looking over his shoulder. And there I found the ballroom where my event would be held: the Annual Pity Party. As I checked in, I saw that all my old colleagues were on the guest list: The Done family—Woulda, Coulda, and Shoulda. Both of the Opportunities—Missed and Lost. All the Yesterdays—there were too many to count, but all would have sad stories to share. Shattered Dreams and Broken Promises would be there, too, along with their friends Don’t Blame Me and Couldn’t Help It. And of course, hours and hours of entertainment would be provided by that renowned storyteller, It’s Their Fault. As I prepared to settle in for a really long night, I realized that one person had the power to send all those people home and break up the party: me. All I had to do was return to the present and welcome the new day! If you have found yourself getting on a flight to the City of Regret, recognize that it’s a trip you book yourself, and you can cancel it at any time—without penalty or fee. But you’re the only one who can.—John C. Maxwell in his book Failing Forward (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2000). No matter what our age is let’s look to future with eyes full of potential and stay away from the City of Regret. By Joyce Suttin
I took a bite of omelet and silently thanked God for it. I was hungry and it tasted exceptionally delicious. I really appreciated the subtle flavors and melted cheese, and I stopped a moment to think about God’s wonderful care and supply. I know that I often hurriedly grab something to eat and don’t even remember to thank God for it. At least I did give thanks this time, but I was convicted by my prayer, because there was something wrong with the timing of it. I could have thanked Him before the first bite, before I knew it was delicious. Then I remembered the words of King David: “This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”(Psalm 118:24 KJV) Whenever I want to learn about gratitude, I read David’s psalms. After listing his problems, he always gives glory to God. But the thing that seemed significant to me about this particular verse is that he tells us to wake up to a new day, give God the glory for it and say—even before it begins—that we will rejoice and be glad. Sometimes I go to bed at night and thank God: “This has been a really good day. Thank You for all the good things that happened, for all I got done, for good health and a happy family.” But that isn’t the kind of gratitude David was talking about. He was talking about being thankful and happy for the day before it begins. He is telling us to determine at the break of dawn that we are going to be happy and have a really good day. I guess that’s like thanking God for the omelet before I taste it. We should thank Him in the morning, even if a storm blows in later in the day. We should determine to be happy, even if some difficulties roll in. Whether it’s an omelet or a new day, we can be thankful no matter what. –Adapted from Activated Magazine “Training for strength and flexibility is a must. You must use it to support your techniques. Techniques alone are no good if you don’t support them with strength and flexibility.” — Bruce Lee
“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.”—Will Smith “To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.” — Bruce Lee “To know ten thousand things, know one well.” — Miyomoto Musashi “'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” — Unknown Author “This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” — Abraham Lincoln “Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.” — Agnes De Mille “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King Jr. “Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Quote of the day:
“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds...”--Norman Vincent Peale Think about it: The best thing that ever happened to boxer Gene Tunney was that he had weak hands. His manager felt that he could never punch hard enough to be the heavyweight champion. Instead, Tunney decided that he would become a scientific boxer, not a slugger. Boxing historians will tell you that he developed into one of the best boxers who ever fought. Tunney would never have been champion had he not had the problem of his weak hands. Why not turn your weakness into an assist? Did you ever hear about the young man named Kyle MacDonald who traded a paperclip for one item after the other until he was able to get his own house? Surprisingly, it only took him 14 trades to achieve his goal one year after he started. His journey was: clip to pen, to doorknob, to stove, to generator, to keg of beer, to snowmobile, to trip to Yahk, to panel truck, to recording contract, to one-year rent of an apartment in Phoenix, to an afternoon with Alice Cooper, to a motorized snow globe, to a speaking role in a movie, to a house in Kipling, Sk., Canada.
Kyle said, “I embarked on an adventure and that paperclip symbolically held it together. It was really easy to remember.” In the same way as Kyle used the paperclip as a point of focus for his idea, I thought we could use his story by applying some of its concepts to our own lives. Kyle was inspired by a childhood bartering game called, “Bigger and Better.” He wondered if it would be possible to take the idea of this game and bring it to life. Instead of playing with game pieces, he would trade real objects until he owned a house. Lots of the greatest discoveries and innovations in history were about making connections, applying one idea to another. Often, this involves connecting the imaginary with the real—first you have to conceive the idea before you can begin to reach for it. What kept Kyle going throughout that year of trading from paperclip to house? One was the fun factor. Kyle said he was jazzed on his journey to get what he wanted; he loved every minute of it. Enjoying what we do, seeing it as a step to a greater end, helps greatly in seeing our vision come to fruition. Kyle looked down on his desk and saw one red paperclip and thought he’d start his adventure with that. We have to begin with the little that we have before we can get to where we want to be. Kyle asked himself, “What is one red paperclip worth?” We should ask the same questions: What is the potential of this idea? What can it lead to? What steps can I take to get closer to that goal? The red paperclip story is a lot about putting ideas into action. It is easy to just blow off an idea when we get it, dismissing it as insignificant, but once we take the time and find out it is what we should do, we should not give up while we are struggling to develop it. It is essential to stick to the plan till the end. When we get an inspiration, it may be the first step into a new direction we should be going. Just as Kyle recognized his “Aha!” moment as a worthwhile idea, so can we. When inspiration strikes, we need to capture the lightning in a bottle for future use. Kyle soon found that he was doing more than just trading objects; he was granting people their wishes. He was giving something to others that they could benefit from. He was connecting people who no longer needed something with someone who did. In our dealings with others, we should look deeper than outward appearances to find out what the person really needs. Achieving what you set out to do is more than acquiring wealth and objects; it is more about developing warm relationships with the people you meet along the way. Near the end of his trading, Kyle got a year’s rent of a house. Some people said he could stop then as he had a house, but he wasn’t fully satisfied because it wasn’t his own house, which is what he had set out to do. Kyle’s story is a good example of seeing the possibilities that others would miss. It makes me wonder what opportunities I’ve missed because of my lack of faith or vision, what waters I could have walked on, what mountains I could have moved, what rivers I could have crossed if I’d had more faith. Certainly, hearing stories like Kyle’s gives us a precedent and example that the seemingly impossible is within our grasp. Having faith for an idea that comes to fruition inspires others. Kyle remarked, “There are people all over the world that say they have paperclips clipped to the top of their computer, or on their desk, or on their shirt. It proves that anything is possible, and I think to a certain degree it’s true.” Kyle said the journey had turned out to be more exciting than the goal. “This is not the end. This may be the end of this segment of the story, but this story will go on,” he said. He is now inspiring others as a motivational speaker, and has spoken to over 50,000 people on four continents. “When in doubt, over prepare, I always say.”— Charlie Sheen
“What shakes the eye but the invisible?” —Theodore Roethke “The weak die out and the strong will survive, and will live on forever” — Anne Frank “We have created characters and animated them in the dimension of depth, revealing through them to our perturbed world that the things we have in common far outnumber and outweigh those that divide us.” — Walt Disney “There are good men and bad men of all nationalities, creeds and colors; and if this world of ours is ever to become what we hope someday it may become, it must be by the general recognition that the man’s heart and soul, the man’s worth and actions, determine his standing.” — Theodore Roosevelt “We are not trying to entertain the critics. I’ll take my chances with the public.” — Walt Disney “We are living in a new culture, one of responsibility dodgers and corner cutters. Nobody cares if a thing is right or not. If you try to trace a poor job or craftsmanship back, you will find, inevitably, that nobody did it.” — Robert Fontaine “Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.” — Anthony Robbins “Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.” — Oprah Winfrey “True religion is real living; living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness.” — Albert Einstein Quote of the day:
“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon--instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today."--Dale Carnegie Think about it: A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite—telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. “What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other’s cups. “Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that has been provided for us.” So let’s be sure to focus on enjoying the coffee of our lives! By Hridayinee Williams, adapted
Everybody loves to get out into Nature. In New Zealand, where I live, we are fortunate to have much beauty and splendor of Mother Nature all around us. Have you ever contemplated what lessons Nature is trying to teach us? Here are a few I have discovered. Divine timing Nature teaches us that for everything there is a season, and the right timing. Sometimes we want certain things to happen right now. It is hard to wait for the fruits of our actions, and we expect results immediately. This is especially ingrained in us now with the fast results of the Internet, where you can look up questions and get instant answers. But the really good things in life—self-discovery, meditation, contemplation, self-transcendence—are not like instant coffee. They take time, practice and effort. In Mother Nature’s natural cycles of weather and seasons, there is an all important flow—the bitter cold of winter is followed by the blossoming beauty of spring then follows the warmth and light of summer, followed by the colorful changes of autumn. For everything there is a season and a reason. If we did not have cold winter, the wheat would not be able to grow strong. Seeds planted beneath the soil lie waiting to flourish. New birth occurs in spring in the flora and fauna around us. Try to follow the example of Mother Nature’s divine timing to increase your own capacity for patience. All good things come with time. There really is the right and special time in your own life for every event and achievement, both inner and outer. Humility Nature teaches us to be humble. There is a quiet strength in humility. It is not a passive quality. Humility is needed in our everyday lives in the many encounters we have with others. Where most can we see this divine quality in Nature? Just take a good look at the green grass beneath your feet. Grass portrays humility, as countless pairs of feet walk all over it every day. It doesn’t complain or wither away. In fact it usually springs back up, unharmed each time. How wonderful is it to walk barefoot on soft green grass? This is something that can be very healing to do and it “earths” you—giving a feeling of replenishment and grounding in your being. Try it, and contemplate the humility of the grass. Oh, if only we could all increase this quality in our own nature, the world would be a more peaceful place to coexist. Self-offering In our own life, the quality of self-offering is most important. When you look at a mature tree, it stands straight and erect, with its countless leaves providing shelter for anyone who pauses beneath its branches—whether the homeless beggar or children playing. Then when the divine timing is right, and the tree becomes laden with fruit, the branches bend down to offer this fruit to all. A tree embodies the quality of self-offering. It provides homes and shelter for animals, birds, and insects, as well as offering shade and fruit to us humans. Next time you walk through a park, breathe in the beauty of the trees, and perhaps offer a moment of gratitude to them for teaching us the divine art of self-offering. To be self-giving, and to offer things, services, smiles to others unconditionally will make you happy. Beauty in simplicity This is perhaps the most obvious thing we receive from Nature. As long as you are receptive to it, and don’t just walk on by with your head down and your crowded thoughts in the puzzling world of the mind. Everywhere around us the beauty of nature resounds! When you take a walk, practice quieting the mind, focusing on your breath, and really pausing to smell the roses. There is so much beauty all around us. Take time out to be in nature and experience the vastness and depth of the blue-green ocean. Enjoy the beauty in the simple and natural things in our environment. Make time to catch the sunrise or glorious sunset! Walk or run through a forest of trees and magical ferns! Gaze at the vastness and uplifting beauty of the blue sky! The possibilities are endless. Renewal and Restorative Powers Finally, search for healing in the natural powers around you. Nature teaches us much about how to renew and restore energy in ourselves. Take a healing walk, and take time to sit in a green forest. Plunge into the refreshing coolness of the salty ocean—so restorative for aching muscles. Breathe in the beauty and splendor of the sunset and contemplate the subtle colors of God’s great paintings across the sky. Above all, remember to take time in your life to renew and restore yourself—by replenishing your energy stores from Mother Nature herself. Meditate in nature. Be happy. You are cradled in the strong embrace of nature all around you, and its Supreme Power is flowing through your life, taking care of every concern, and flooding you with grace and light.— Adapted from Motivated magazine |
AuthorThe goal of the blog is to provide interesting, motivational, soul feeding material. All to help remind us that God loves us all and wants a personal relationship with each of us and will take care of us in times of trouble. I aspire to be a force for good by providing you with positive input. I encourage you to share the blog with others. Archives
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