From One Father to Another

This isn’t the way I planned it, God. Not at all. My child being born in a stable? This isn’t the way I thought it would be. A cave with sheep and donkeys, hay and straw? My wife giving birth with only the stars to hear her pain?

This isn’t at all what I imagined. No, I imagined family. I imagined grandmothers. I imagined neighbors clustered outside the door and friends standing at my side. I imagined the house erupting with the first cry of the infant. Slaps on the back. Loud laughter. Jubilation.

That’s how I thought it would be.

But now…Who will celebrate with us? The sheep? The shepherds?

The stars?

This doesn’t seem right. What kind of husband am I? I provide no midwife to aid my wife. No bed to rest her back. Her pillow is a blanket from my donkey.

Did I miss something? Did I, God?

When you sent the angel and spoke of the son being born—this isn’t what I pictured. I envisioned Jerusalem, the temple, the priests, and the people gathered to watch. A pageant perhaps. A parade. A banquet at least. I mean, this is the Messiah!

Or, if not born in Jerusalem, how about Nazareth? Wouldn’t Nazareth have been better? At least there I have my house and my business. Out here, what do I have? A weary mule, a stack of firewood, and a pot of warm water. This is not the way I wanted it to be!... Forgive me for asking but … is this how God enters the world? The coming of the angel, I’ve accepted. The questions people asked about the pregnancy, I can tolerate. The trip to Bethlehem, fine. But why a birth in a stable, God?

Any minute now Mary will give birth. Not to a child, but to the Messiah. Not to an infant, but to God. That’s what the angel said. That’s what Mary believes. And, God, my God, that’s what I want to believe. But surely you can understand; it’s not easy. It seems so … so … so … bizarre.

I’m unaccustomed to such strangeness, God. I’m a carpenter. I make things fit. I square off the edges. I follow the plumb line. I measure twice before I cut once. Surprises are not the friend of a builder. I like to know the plan. I like to see the plan before I begin.

But this time I’m not the builder, am I? This time I’m a tool. A hammer in your grip. A nail between your fingers. A chisel in your hands. This project is yours, not mine.

One Incredible Savior. I guess it’s foolish of me to question you. Forgive my struggling. Trust doesn’t come easy to me, God. But you never said it would be easy, did you?

One final thing, Father. The angel you sent? Any chance you could send another? If not an angel, maybe a person? I don’t know anyone around here and some company would be nice. Maybe the innkeeper or a traveler? Even a shepherd would do.

Here and Now

"Hold with faith and purpose the vision of yourself in the better environment, but act upon your present environment with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your mind." Wallace Wattles

Have you ever found yourself waiting to take action on your dreams until something happens?

You wait for more information, you wait for more time, you wait for more help, you wait for the kids to graduate, you wait, and wait, and you wait.

How's that working for you?

Just type out today's quote and paste it up where you have to see it.

I don't care how complicated and busy your life is. There's always
something that you can be doing!

Get really clear about what your vision looks like. Imagine yourself in that vision like it was a movie. Imagine yourself taking the actions
that will bring that vision into reality.

Feel the power, feel the joy, feel the accomplishment!

Then identify the first step that you have to take in that direction, and
get busy, putting your whole heart, mind and strength into it.

It doesn't have to be a big step, in fact, little steps are better. You can
celebrate every one.
The only place you can act is HERE.
The only time you can act is NOW.

The world is waiting. Go!

Five to One

"For a relationship to succeed, the frequency of positive comments has to outweigh negative remarks by about five to one. In other words, it takes five instances of agreement and support to undo the harm caused by a single criticism." Richard Wiseman

We're fortunate that there are people who are so curious about why people do what they do that they spend their whole lives studying behavior. That way we don't have to guess, we can just read the research!

Our quote today refers to the results of many studies of couples in relationships. The researchers were looking for factors which predicted
which couples would stay together or separate.

The research gives us a good reason to bite our tongue when we're tempted
to say something critical. We now know that it will cost us at least five compliments to make up for it!

I suspect that the research would be valid for other kinds of relationships, too. Business relationships, friends, family members, especially parents and children. That offhand critical remark can last for a long time. It's just not worth it.

There's an old saying that I heard as a kid many times - "If you can't say
something nice, don't say anything at all."

Now we have the research to prove it's good advice.

An old farmer's advice

*Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker, you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God.

Handwriting on the Wall

A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!

She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall

Feeling Good

"When you feel good about yourself, others will feel good about you, too." Jake Steinfeld

Many of us are brought up in families where we're taught that saying good things about ourselves is being conceited. The message that we as little kids get from that is that we're really not that good after all. There's something wrong about feeling good about ourselves. You can see that this is just a destructive belief pattern passed down in the family from parents to kids. It's not intended to be malicious, but it's destructive in what it teaches us about ourselves.

Some of us spend our whole lives trying to be good enough to be worth feeling good about ourselves, and never quite making it. The fact is, there's a big difference between feeling good about yourself and being conceited. Here's how to tell the difference.

Conceit compares you to others. Self esteem does not. Healthy self esteem is necessary for success in life. As our quote says, if we like ourselves, others will, too. And it's hard to be successful without the partnership of others.

So how are you doing with liking yourself? Do you feel genuinely good about yourself? Would you want to be friends with you? You're actually a pretty nice person, you know.

Give yourself a hug!

Pure Potential

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."  George Bernard Shaw

There's a problem with thinking that we need to find ourselves.
The problem is - if we think that we need to find ourselves in order to achieve our dreams and goals n life, we'll likely fail. Why will we fail? Because there's nothing to find.

What you are is pure potential. You have the ability to be anything that you want badly enough. But pure unrealized potential is hard to see. It's undefined, shadowy, ghost-like. Your job is not to find it, your job is to turn it into form.

The way you do that is to decide what you want, to choose the path that makes your heart sing - even if you don't think that you have any natural talents for it.
You may be surprised to find that you're wrong about the talents. All that unrealized potential may have more stored up in it than you think.

You'll never know until you put away the voices that say, "Who are you to think you can do that?" Choose a new voice that says, "Who am I to think I can't do that?"
Then, as our quote says, you can get to work creating yourself. Build the skills as you go. Turn that potential into the person that you need to be to live your dream.

We're all waiting, and cheering you on!

How To Mend a Broken Heart

 

Anyone who has gone through a breakup or divorce and has come out the other side with a broken heart, knows what we are talking about.

It can be a very painful experience!

One of the ways to help yourself to feel better and actually heal from a breakup or divorce is to begin to listen to what you are telling yourself. In other words, pay attention to your “self talk.”
We all talk to ourselves all of the time and this is what we calling 'self talk.' These thoughts come and go in our minds and they can either help us go through life with relative ease or struggling at every step of the way.
In our experience, this 'self talk' can either keep you stuck in the past--mulling over what went wrong or what you should have done differently--or stuck in the future--worrying about what might happen at some point down the road.
Or 'self talk' can help you to stay in the present moment, dealing practically with what's happening right now, and move powerfully and positively into your future.
One of the best kept secrets is that you can change your thoughts. Believe it or not, many people learn how to do it.
Here are 5 ways to change 'self talk' to help you ease your pain from your breakup or divorce...
1. Become aware of what you are telling yourself.
Believe it or not, our houghts are habits that we've created along the way. For instance, there's the "guilt" set of thoughts, the "worry" set of thoughts, the "fear" set of thoughts, the "I'm always going to be alone" set of thoughts, the "nothing's wrong" set of thoughts or the "sunny outlook" set of thoughts--you get the idea.
If you want to begin healing your pain, start paying attention to your particular set of thoughts. You might even give them a name.
Maybe you've not had these thoughts until your breakup or maybe they've been with you for a long time. Whichever is the case, just begin noticing what thoughts roll through your mind.
2. Once you have become aware of your thoughts, decide the thoughts that make you feel better, easier about your situation and those that don't. Take a legal pad or notebook and at the top of the page, make 2 columns with these headings: "Feel better" and "Feel Worse."
Keep the legal pad or notebook where you can easily reach it. As thoughts come to you, write them down under one of those two categories. Do this long enough for you to see on paper, your patterns of thinking that are either helping you or pulling you down.
3. Identify one reoccurring thought or pattern that is bringing you pain and make the commitment to yourself to change it. Write your commitment down and post it where you'll see it often.
It could go something like this...
"I commit to changing my thoughts about how alone I am right now. I may not be with a partner right now but I don't have to constantly remind myself."
4. Chose a thought that is better.
Taking our example, this thought is probably not going to be that you are completely joyful, are with your perfect partner, or feel completely satisfied with your current situation. It may be that a better thought is that when a thought comes up about how alone you are, you change that thought to "I can call Bonnie or Carol and either talk with them or arrange to go to dinner or a movie."
5. Practice in each moment and break your habit.
Have you ever broken a habit? It takes being aware of what you are doing and then making a change in the moment. Your thought pattern is a habit and can be changed--but you have to believe the thought that you are changing to--and you have to practice it.
If feeling better is important to you, this is valuable information that will help you to move forward in your healing process from your breakup or divorce.

By Susie and Otto Collins, Relationship Coaches

Tunnel Vision

"A man can only do what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day."  Albert Schweitzer
         
One of the keys to productivity is creativity. When you're creative it just seems like everything flows, ideas
show up, and things move. But it's really hard to be creative if you're stressed out. When you feel under deadline pressure, everything gets tied up in knots.

Stress actually narrows your field of view, so you have tunnel vision, like looking through a tube.

Good ideas are hard to find with narrow vision like that! So how do you overcome the stress?

One important way is identified in our quote. We have to allow ourselves to do all we can do - and no more than that!

Can you get to the end of the day and know that you did all you could do, even if that wasn't everything on your to-do list?

Can you be peaceful with that?

You should, because being anxious because you didn't do the impossible is not in your best interests.

Not only is it very difficult to do the impossible, but the more stressed you get, the less you get done.

Bob Proctor likes to say, "Go as fast as you can, but never hurry." The person who is focused and relaxed will always outperform the person who is tense and rushed.

So every day, do all you can, with what you have, right where you are. Then you can sleep peacefully and do it again tomorrow.

You'll be surprised how much you get done!

Trust is the Key to Successful Relationships

Zig Ziglar

We will never know how many marriages have been destroyed, how many careers have been wrecked, how many lives have been jeopardized because of some trivial incident to which we reacted negatively.

Example: During the dark days of the Depression, two brothers started a small store and shared equally in everything. They were congenial and happy, and though they were struggling for survival, they were at least making it. One day, one of the brothers placed a $1 bill on top of the cash box and then was suddenly called away on an emergency. His brother was not in the store at the time, but he knew a friend had brought the dollar in as a payment.

When the first brother returned, the dollar bill was gone. Suspecting the wind had blown it away or it had fallen on the floor, he started looking. As he was searching for the dollar, the other brother returned and inquired as to what he was doing. The searching brother explained what happened, but somehow he was not believed. Accusations followed, tension mounted, and the brothers split.

Several years later, they received a letter in the mail, written by a man who said he had walked into the store at the exact moment the first brother had been called away. He was starving, had no money and was desperate. He had seen the dollar and taken it. He enclosed a substantial repayment in hopes it would buy his forgiveness and repay his debt.

Immediately, he went to his brother and, without a word, handed him the letter. As he read it, tears filled his eyes. The brothers embraced, wept and sought forgiveness. It is a true story. What a tragedy that years of misery followed lack of trust over a $1 bill. Fortunately, the end of the story gives us something to smile about.

Are you rich?

Stop. Think about that question for a moment, and answer it honestly. Let it wind down through your head, past your heart and into your soul. Put it into first person.Am I rich? Ask, and wait for the answer. It's important to get an answer because your whole life is currently being controlled by that answer. Everything you do is colored by it. Every single facet of your life is shaped by it in some way.
In this life there are four answers, and each answer shapes the reality of the person answering in ways they may not even be aware of.
The first group says, "Of course I'm rich. Look at all the money I have." And then they go home to empty houses filled with all the finest things in life but devoid of anything even nearly approximating love. These are the people who are lost but don't know it, or who can't face how barren their lives really are.
The second group says, "I'm not rich. Look around. I can hardly pay my bills each month. I have no savings, my car just broke down, and I have no idea how I'm ever going to send my kids to college." These people hold "poverty" up like a badge of honor when in reality, their focus on the bad keeps them in perpetual bad without any hope of getting to the good in life.
The third group says, "No, I'm not rich because even if I have a lot now, something terrible could happen tomorrow, and then where would I be?" These are the people who are just waiting for bad to happen. They can't enjoy what they do have for fear of the future. So, no matter how much they have now, fear is their dominant emotional state, and it effectively negates any positive feelings making them perpetually feel "poor"-effectively keeping them in bad.
And then there is the fourth group.
The first time I read this question, my resounding answer all the way to the bottom of my spirit was, "Yes, of course I'm rich!" However, it wasn't until a few minutes later that I really thought about the question in terms of money. I simply looked out to where my children were playing as I sat on the steps of my home waiting for my husband to come home, and I said, "Yes." How, in that context, could I answer anything but yes?
Life, however, is not nearly as logical as it sometimes seems. A few days later I asked the question of someone in exactly the same situation, and that person's immediate and resounding response was, "No!" I was astounded. How could the two of us in as close to the same boat as two people can get respond so differently?
The more I reflected on that paradox, the more I learned about how and why I relate to my world the way I do. When I was younger, a friend told me, "You know, you are so lucky. Everything always works out for you." At the time I said, "Yeah, and I work darn hard to make sure it does."
In light of this new question, however, I can see why things work out for me-because I believe that they will and I focus all my energy toward that end. Then, even when they don't work out like I planned, I see that how they worked out was even better than what I had planned or at least exactly the way they were supposed to work out for my continued growth. A circumstance which causes me to feel even richer than before.
World-renown motivational speaker Anthony Robbins has an exercise where first you "hope" something will work out. He says that when you hope, you see two possibilities: the thing working out, and the thing not working out. Then he invites you to "expect" that something will work out. Expecting focuses all of your attention, all of your energy, on the goal being accomplished with no thought to it not working out. When you expect consistently, your goals, your dreams, and your plans have no choice but to come into being because your thoughts create your reality.
And so back to our original question. Are you rich? 

When you look at your life do you expect things to work out? Do you focus all your energy on things working out? Or do you sit back and hope that somehow they will? If your answer to the last question is, "Yes," then I'd be willing to bet your answer to the first is, "No." It's simple-if all you focus on is how "poor" you are, no matter how great things may be, you will find a way to feel "poor."

"no matter how great things may be, you will find a way to feel 'poor.'"

Sarah Ban Breathnach, best-selling author of Simple Abundance and Something More, suggests keeping a gratitude journal where every day you write down five things for which you are grateful. This is an excellent way to force your mind to focus on answering a resounding, "Yes!" to "Are you rich?" Take a moment, right now, and list ten things in your life for which you would not take a million dollars.
Having trouble thinking of something? Then start with your health-that's an asset most of us take for granted. "But I have a bad back and migraine headaches and PMS," you say. Maybe, but I have an uncle who is stricken with MS, and he literally cannot reliably move any muscle in his entire body. Not only is he in a wheelchair, he must be strapped to that wheelchair so he won't fall out. He cannot feed himself, dress himself, or go to the bathroom by himself. He cannot drive, hold a pencil, type, or even roll over in bed at night under his own power.
Now, how thankful are you for your health? More importantly, are you rich?
In the book Princess, by Jean Sasson, a Saudi Arabian princess who on the outside lives a life of luxury and opulence that most of us could only dream about, describes life for women that closely resembles absolute hell. Women locked in lightless rooms for years on end because they brought "dishonor" to the family. Women drowned by their fathers in their family's swimming pool while their mothers and sisters look on helplessly. Young girls sold by their parents, stripped naked, and then bought at auctions by men who want to increase their harems.
And we complain about a bad hair day.
Think about the opportunities and the options you have stretched before you. Yes, you may be in a dead end job or in a dead end relationship, but you don't have to stay there. You can get out. So ask yourself right now, what do you want to do with your life? What is your dream? If you could be anywhere in this life, where would you be? Picture that place in detail. What does it look like? Breathe. Close your eyes, and see it.
If you believe you are rich; if in your soul your answer is a solid, no-questions-asked, resounding "Yes!", then you can achieve that dream and any other dream you focus on. Nothing can stop you.
Now, I can hear some of you saying, "But I'm not rich. Look at all these bad things that have happened to me." Then I say, start a grateful journal today-this very minute. You don't have a second to waste.
Motivational speaker, Marianne Williamson says, "There is nothing holy about poverty." God, the maker of all things, has given you the greatest gift of all-life, but what do most of us do? Sit around complaining about every little thing that has ever gone wrong and whining about how hard this life is.
Let this be your warning: Do not tell your brain you are poor, for when you do, no amount of riches-monetary or otherwise-will ever be enough to make you rich. Believe you are rich, feel you are rich, focus on how you are rich every single moment of every single day. For when you feel you are rich and believe you are rich, more riches will be granted to you.
So, now, let me ask you once more, are you rich? Be careful. The answer is shaping more than you think! 
© Staci Stallings

No Pity Parties

"Make peace with your past so it won't
screw up the present. Life is too short
for long pity parties."
         Anonymous

Have you ever found yourself blaming
your current circumstances on things
that you did in the past?

You beat yourself up over the 20 years
you wasted in a bad relationship or bad
job, and feel like your life would be so
much better if only....., if only.

Well, stop it! You can't change the past.
All you're doing is using the past as a
reason for not using the present to
create the future!

I know, we all like to play victim every
once in a while, but it's not very
productive. For every mistake in the
past there's a lesson that you learned
that you can use today.

Even if it's as simple as, "Don't do
that again!"

Everyone has things that they'd like
to do over but the world doesn't work
that way. Remember, it's a learning
experience.

So get the lesson and start working
on the future. What do you want to do,
be, or have?

Get a dream, set a goal, make a plan.
Then be relentless in making it a
reality.

And that's the outcome you want!

Many blessings,
Wes Hopper

11 Surprising Health Benefits of Sleep - sleep - Health.com

11 Surprising Health Benefits of Sleep - sleep - Health.com

How to build trust

Trust is so fragile that is hard to put back to its original state when broken. These are simple tips on how to build trust.l.

Tips How To Build Trust:

• Never tell a lie, always tell the truth. And, say it kindly and tactfully.
• Be real, do not act like somebody you are not.
• Do not gossip about other people’s life. The one you are talking to may think you are gossiping her at her back. The worst scene is – if she pass what you said to other people too.
• Never betray a confidence. Do not tell the secrets confided to you.
• Keep all the promises you made. If you cannot keep a promise, better not to promise at all.
• When you borrow something, always return it as soon as possible.

Build The Right Picture

"There is one emotion that causes serious
problems in the lives of many people. Most
people learn this the hard way, or never learn
it at all. That emotion is envy."
             Dr Joseph Murphy

When you see or hear of someone who has
created something wonderful, like lots of
money, or a loving relationship, or an exciting
holiday, how do you respond - inside?

Tell the truth now. Do you rejoice with them
or do you secretly envy them?

Envy is, as Dr Murphy says, a very destructive
emotion. When you have it you find yourself
being bitter and critical of others, instead of
celebrating with them.

And, of course, that pretty much guarantees
that what they have will not show up for you.

What's behind envy? First, it's a belief in
scarcity, that there's not enough to go around.
So the more someone else gets, the less for
you.

Second, there's a belief that the Universe is
unfair, and the other person must have
cheated in some way to get what should have
been yours. You're second class.

Well, we know when we bring these beliefs
into the light of day that they're not true. But
holding them in your mind will make them
true for you, and that's so unnecessary.

One of the most simple positive acts that
you can take for your own benefit is to make
it a point to celebrate other people's
successes. Rejoice with them, whether you
know them or not.

Big successes, little successes, the
Universe treats them all the same and so
should you.

This builds a picture of success in your
mind for the things you want.

Plus, it feels good to cheer others on!

Determine to succeed!

"Some succeed because they are destined to. Others succeed because they are determined to." Author Unknown.

A lot of people thought Walt Disney's dream was ludicrous. Many people laughed at his ideas while others told him it's impossible.

Walt Disney had a dream, a strong determination, and a strong belief. He made it happen. If he had listened to all those who told him his dream was impossible, we would not have the Disney resorts and Cartoons we have today.

There are countless situations where individuals were told it was impossible, yet they went on to achieve success.

I believe it all comes down to your outlook:

• if you think it is impossible, then it is; if you think it can be achieved, then what you see is not the impossible, but the end result.
• if you believe in yourself then you will find a way no, matter what obstacles and challenges you face along the way.
• and, if you are determined then, you will find a 90% chance of success.

See you at the top!

Friend of God

Living Backwards

"Often people attempt to live their
lives backwards; they try to have
more things, or more money, in
order to do more of what they want,
so they will be happier. The way it
actually works is the reverse. You
must first be who you really are,
then do what you need to do, in
order to have what you want."
             Margaret Young


Why is it that we have so many
excuses in our lives? I think a big
part of it is that we don't have
enough self-esteem.

We associate our worth with what
we do and have. If we don't think
that measures up, we find an
excuse that puts the problem on
the outside of us.

You know - circumstances, other
people, the economy, the world,
your spouse, the weather.

I think the root of this dysfunction
is described by our quote - we're
living our lives backwards.

We think we must DO, so we can
HAVE, and if we have enough, then
we can BE.

This doesn't lead to authenticity
in any area of our lives. It leads to
shame and covering up the truth
with excuses.

Tell the truth - are you really in love
with you? Can you see and appreciate
your own infinite greatness? Can you
feel that you are perfectly OK just
the way you are?

Just relax into that thought, that your
OK'ness doesn't depend on any
accomplishments or possessions
or status of any kind.

Wow, feels different, doesn't it?

Why not stay there for awhile and
enjoy it. It's the truth, you know.

Now approach what you DO from
the place of being OK already.

You'll be glad you did.

Many blessings

Keep these thoughts with you Everytime!

1. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.


2. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.


3. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.


4. He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.


5. What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem; not to
Mention that Friday at Calvary.


Face it, He really does love you.


God answers Knee-Mail!

Choosly Wisely

"In every single thing you do, you
are choosing a direction. Your life
is a product of choices."
        Dr. Kathleen Hall

Someone was telling me today about
a recent luncheon she had, and how
disappointed she was that the two
other women spent the whole time
complaining about people.

So she won't go with them again.

She was not judging the other
women as being wrong, she was
just being true to her choice not
to be around negative energy.

Our life is a product of our choices,
and one of the most important
choices is who we associate with.

If we associate with generally upbeat
and positive people, our lives will
reflect that.

If we associate with negative people,
we'll wonder why we're always
feeling discouraged and tense.

In my experience, it seems that the
negative people outnumber the
positive ones, so we have to choose
carefully.

We also have to BE positive and
supportive so they will choose us!

If you're in a negative environment
at work, it's better to eat lunch alone
than to subject yourself to an hour of
negative gossip, gloom and doom
just to have company.

What if the negative people are
family? Well, as I've heard Bob
Proctor say, just don't go as often
and don't stay as long. Take
responsibility for your environment.

You'll be glad you did.

Many blessings,

THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'My Feet Are Off The Ground' From Tyler Perry: Writer and Actor This morning I awoke and was so frustrated about all of the stuff that I'm dealing with in trying to get this studio open. I was about to open my mouth and start complaining when I remembered something that happened to me about a year ago. I was walking to my car when this woman who appeared to be homeless started walking towards me. I'm ashamed to say this but I thought, 'I don't feel like being hustled today.' Then I got quickly convicted. I felt guilty so I started digging in my pocket for some money. As she got closer I noticed that she had the kindest eyes that I had ever seen. As I was reaching into my pocket she started to speak. I thought, 'Here goes the sales pitch'. She said 'Excuse me sir, I need some shoes. Can you help me?' My eyes filled with water because I remember being out on the streets and having only one pair of run over shoes. I was taken aback for a second. I took her inside the studio and had my wardrobe people find shoes in her size. As she put the shoes on she started crying, praising God and thanking Jesus, and saying, 'My feet are off the ground! My feet are off the ground!' Several of the wardrobe people started crying. I was crying. But I never forgot those words. 'My feet are off the ground!' I thought, 'Wow! All she wanted was some shoes.' She quickly disappeared and never asked me for a dime. I realized that I still had the money in my hand so I went out looking for her. She was gone just that quick so I looked all around the neighborhood for her. I found her standing on a corner looking down at her shoes, still crying. I was so touched. I asked her how she had gotten homeless. She told me that she had AIDS and that she was waiting to get into a shelter.. She said that her family had turned their backs on her and that she had no place to go, but she knew that God would make a way for her. I said to myself, 'He just did.' Her faith and her praise moved me. I took her to a nearby hotel and put her up until she was able to get on her feet. I had someone that worked for me to check on her from time to time and to make sure that she had food and clothes. After about a month or so we lost touch, but I never forgot her. This past summer I was shooting 'Daddy's Little Girls' and this woman walks up to me smiling. I didn't recognize her face, but her eyes were familiar.. She had on a really nice dress and her hair was done. It was her! She told me that the little help that I had given her had changed her life. She was in a house now and doing very well. I said all of that to say this. After I met this woman, every time I think about complaining and mumbling I remember, 'My feet are off the ground!' I wanted to share this with you just to let you know that when I say that I am thankful for you, I mean it. And when I say that you are a blessing to me, I mean it. We take so much for granted sometimes that I just wanted all of you to know that I am grateful to God for you everyday. Thank you for being in my life. ~Tyler Perry "When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others" Chinese Proverb

Crazy little thing called love

Poems have been written on it, people have given their lives for it and in many people this little word evokes the grandest of emotions.
“The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth and delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that your world has been transformed.” J Krishnamurti

So you have fallen in love, Cupid’s guided missile-like arrow has struck and triggered off a series of responses ranging in intensity from mild obsession to pure insanity. When the person who is the object of your affections happens to be with you, strange things happen. Suddenly music plays, a spontaneous burst of fireworks embroiders the sky, star dust falls all around you, your heart beats just that little faster and your breathing turns shallow. You feel more than perfectly okay. Love does this to you, particularly when freshly brewed. Poets, writers, playwrights all over the world have us believe all along that this emotion is something out of the ordinary, and it turns the ordinary in us to something very special. True perhaps.

Also true that love is identified as one of the emotions central to our lives as human beings. Emphasising the significance of this emotion in our lives, US-based love coach Robin Gorman Newman, founder of www.Lovecoach.com, says: “Everyone wants love in their lives. What is life about without it? We want to be fulfilled in our relationships, personal, professional, and certainly, romantic. Love feels good. It gives meaning and depth to our everyday existence. It makes you wake up in the morning. Falling in love can be a euphoric state. When you are able to connect with someone at a heartfelt level, and know that it’s mutual and real, it’s like an elixir.

“Romance is wonderful. A glance. A touch. With the right person, it means everything. Self-love is important too. You need to practice self-care and be in a positive place so that you can recognise and invite true love into your life. Otherwise, it could be right under your nose, and you wont seize it.”

But despite all these eloquent thoughts on this speeding-train-without-brakes like emotion which we believe is centred somewhere deep in our heart, there is a new breed of people who are slowly but surely washing off the pink patina over love and revealing it to be mere concoction of brain chemicals you have no control over. Scientists say love is nothing but a chemical high, a very ‘head-y’ thing as opposed to a heart experience. A cocktail of  chemicals in your brain suddenly soars and keel over with its collective might. In several tests carried out, biochemists have been able to prove that all of that floaty feeling is nothing but an interplay of chemicals, hormones, enzymes and pheromones in our body and that feeling of being in love can be reduced to an equation as simple as a+b=c.

So much for stars in our eyes! These days, you will be advised to see your opthalmologist immediately. Floaty or floaters? Better determine that. 

If You Had to Do it All Over Again ... Zig Ziglar

If you had it to do all over again ...
This question is frequently asked of people after they've reached a certain age in life. One unknown father gave the question some serious thought and came up with some answers I believe have a lot of merit:

1. "I would love my wife more in front of my children," simply meaning he would speak more words of affection, hold her hand more, put his arm around her more and hug her more.

2. "I would laugh with my children more at our mistakes and joys." Laughter breeds happiness, and a happy home has far fewer problems.

3. "I would listen more, even to the smallest child." It is amazing what little ones can teach us as those "pearls of wisdom" often come tumbling out.

4. "I would be more honest about my own weaknesses and stop pretending perfection." Kids know we are not perfect, and it's comforting to them to know we can acknowledge our humanness.

5. "I would pray differently for my family. Instead of focusing on them, I'd focus on me." After all, that's really where it starts.

6. "I would do more things together with my children." We repeatedly hear about fathers who get too busy to spend precious moments walking, talking, playing, shopping, fishing, cycling, etc., with their children. That's where bonding takes place.

7. "I would be more encouraging and bestow more praise." It is said that encouragement is the fuel of hope. And praise, particularly for effort, brings about even more effort in the future.

8. "I would pay more attention to little things, deeds and words of love and kindness." When you add all those little things up over a lifetime, they make a huge difference.

9. "I would share God more intimately with my family through ordinary things that happen in a day."

This unknown father has some marvelous lessons we can all use. Take his approach, and I'll see you at the top!

~He Is God~

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!  He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be ...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!  
   
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him, and The leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,  and The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him, and "Oprah" can't explain Him away!  
   
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.
     
His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.
He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and He rules my life!  
   
I serve Him because His bond is love,
His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life.  
I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful,
the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders,
the overseer of the overcomers, and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size.  
   
His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me and
never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!  
   
When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!
 
   
He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and every way.  
He is God, He is faithful. I am His, and He is mine!  
My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...  
He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.
   
   
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!  

The Eagle lesson

An Eagle

Eagles enjoy the longest life expectancy among bird species. They can live up to 70 years.

But in order to survive, they have to make a critical decision at the age of 40. Because at age 40, their wings are heavier due to thick & long feathers, their beaks are growing long & curved almost touching their chest. Their claws weaken and are hard for them to catch preys.

They have 2 Choices: Dying or undergo a painful transformation of 150 days. They have to fly to the top of a rocky mountain. Build their home there and rest.

They have to hit their beaks against the rock till they fall off and wait patiently for the new beaks to grow. They will use their new beaks to pull out their nails. With their newly grown nails, they will then clean off their old feathers. 5 months later, the eagles will fly again with their new feathers.

 They renew their strength for another 30 years!

  LESSON

Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions in life in order to embark on a new journey. If we put down our old self, "eagerly" pick up new skills, we are

able to explore the undiscovered talents in us

Remember "you cannot be loaded and not be needed""

Don't Quit

    When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
    When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
    When the funds are low and the debts are high,
    And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
    When care is pressing you down a bit,
    Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
    Life is strange with its twists and turns,
    As every one of us sometimes learns,
    And many a failure turns about
    When he might have won had he stuck it out.
    Don't give up though the pace seems slow –
    You may succeed with another blow!
    Success is failure turned inside out –
    The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
    And you never can tell just how close you are,
    It may be near when it seems so far.
    So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit–
    It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
     ^{Tough times don't last, but Tough people do.}

Self Confidence

There is something common in all achievers and that is self- confidence. It gives them courage to take greater risks and achieve more than they ever thought possible. Self-confidence extends their reach and makes them do miracles.

Self-confidence is our attitude which gives us a positive and realistic views about ourselves. It helps us to trust our abilities and believe that we can achieve what we dream.

Self-confident people have realistic expectations of themselves and others. Even if some of these expectations are not met they remain positive, accept themselves and look optimistically to conquer greater heights.

They feel good about themselves even when others don't appreciate and acknowledge their efforts. They don't long for the approval of others and are willing to risk and do what others are scared of doing because they believe in their ability to win. Jack Welch says, "Self-confidence gives you courage and extends your reach. It lets you take greater risks and achieve far more than you ever thought possible."

Self-confidence is contagious. Self-confident people instill confidence in others and gain the confidence of others. It is the secret of effective and successful living.

Our self-confidence is expressed in our behaviour, body language, the way we dress, talk, look, walk, what we say and think, the way we act and relate etc. A self-confident person fears nothing, has attained the truth and lives free of error.

The signs of low self-confidence are feeling of guilt, skepticism, self-shame, pride, fear, pretension, laziness, unforgiving attitudes, depression, lack of trust in oneself and others, pessimism, inferiority complex, procrastination, self-doubt, passivity, submissiveness, isolation and jealousy etc.

Be glad there are ways by which we can build up our self-confidence.

1. Have faith in yourself

Our self-confidence increases when we believe in our abilities to perform and manage things. All of us have innumerable talents and potentials, only we are often not aware of many of them. To believe in our capabilities we first of all must identify what we have. For this we have to do a SWOT analysis and realistically look at ourselves. We will discover that we are people of great possibilities and potentials. This faith in our abilities will boost our self-confidence. We must dwell more on our strengths and use them to negate and correct our weaknesses.

2. Look at your achievements

We can successfully do so many things. We too are great achievers. But we often brood over our failures and make our lives miserable. Think often of your successes and this will help you to increase your self-confidence. Our fear of failures prevents us from taking up anything new and challenging. Remember that we have so many qualities and abilities and that we too can be successful if we perform with all our energy, mind and heart.

3. Feel good about yourself

No one can make us feel inferior without our permission. To boost our self-confidence first of all we must feel good about ourselves. The secret of all successful and happy living is to love oneself. When I am unhappy with myself I see unhappiness everywhere and I make all those around me unhappy. I must accept myself and feel good about the way I am, the way I look, my colour, my size, my shape and believe that the world can't be same if I am not there. Enjoy yourself once in a while by joining your friends for a night out, enjoying a good meal, going for a movie, playing some games etc. Laugh and forget yourself and enjoy some moments and run away from your work and stress. Such activities can boost your self- confidence.

4. Fix challenging goals

Goals can do miracles in our lives. Greater the goals greater is our self-confidence. We should have both small goals and big goals. The achievement of small goals will give us enough enthusiasm and self- confidence to run towards bigger and more challenging goals. We must think positively about our abilities to achieve our goals and reward ourselves when we achieve them.

5. Bring in commitment and passion

Our self-confidence depends on the degree of our commitment to a cause. If we are mediocre and half-hearted the result will also be same. We must commit ourselves to success and become passionate about what we do. Our commitment is expressed in our eagerness and desire to learn and develop new skills, knowledge and talents. When we are more prepared with commitment, knowledge and skills to do a thing we become more confident.

The elephant and the maina were great friends. But the elephant always felt sad that he was not able to fly like his friend maina. So one day he asked maina to teach him how to fly. The maina agreed and led him to a cliff.

Pulling out a feather she said: "hold this feather tight in your mouth and flap your ears and jump down this cliff and you will fly."

The elephant belived her words, held the feather in his mouth and flapped his ears and behold he began to fly.

He flew over the villages, the rivers and cities and returned to his friend very happy and told her " Your feather is very powerful. Can I have this feather because I want to use it whenever I want to fly."

The maina said, "its not my feather. It's a hair from your tail. You only need to believe in your ability to fly. Believe in yourself and you will do miracles."

Believe in yourself, have confidence in yourself and you will indeed do miracles.

40 Point HAND BOOK - 2011 for You & Family.

Dear Friends,

This is a brand new year and we need to begin on a good note. So take time to read the following and apply them where necessary.

May you have a wonderful year - 2011.

Health:

1.       Drink plenty of water.

2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is

          manufactured in plants.

4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

5.       Make time to practice meditation on God's word & seek His face daily in prayer.

6.       Play more games.

7.       Read more books than you did in 2010.

8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

9.       Sleep for 7 hours.

10.    Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11.    Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all

         about.

12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your

         energy in the positive present moment.

13.    Don't over do. Keep your limits.

14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16.    Dream more while you are awake.

17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the

         past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part

         of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons   

         you learn  will last a lifetime.

23.    Smile and laugh more.

24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25.    Call your family often.

26.    Each day give something good to others.

27.    Forgive everyone for everything.

28.    Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.

31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in

         touch.

Life:

32.    Do the right thing!

33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34.    GOD heals everything.

35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37.    The best is yet to come.

38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:

40.    Please let everyone you care about know about this piece.