Category Archives: life

Blogroll, Enlightenment, intentional, life, mindfulness, personal growth

Five Tips For Living An Intentional Life!

I love life! But if I am totally honest: I have not always loved life. There have been times that I absolutely dreaded it and there have even been times when I just wanted to get off the ride and go home. Somewhere along the way, during the ups, downs, sideways, upside-downs and right-side ups of this life, I learned that the secret to loving life, was not just tolerating it, but actually treating it as the gift that it truly is.

This life is our opportunity to work on our very own masterpiece. If we choose we can add on purpose and intentional brushstrokes everyday that help to make life and living something really special.

If we are not careful, it is very possible to live our lives with no real intention or purpose, just bouncing around helplessly like a little ball getting knocked around in a pinball machine. This is not the life we were created for and the key to living above the fray is INTENTIONALITY. We each have a choice to make: Work on a masterpiece or be a helpless ball tossed around in a meaningless game???

Being intentional requires us to think about what we want and what we are capable of. It requires us to think thought our life and living and make a plan. It is all about taking advantage of the amazing gift of choice. That’s right we have the ability to choose the life we are going to live.

Here are Five Tips For Living An Intentional Life:

1. Decide at the beginning of your day, what this day is going to be about! If you don’t decide someone else will decide for you and trust me, that will not even come close to the kind of day, you would really like to live. Be intentional about what your day is going to be about!

2. Understand that time is a gift that you can’t get back! We each have 24 hours in a day. No one gets anymore and no one gets any less. Most of us waste a lot of time and then feel guilty and regret it later. Be intentional about how you are going to invest your time!

3. Think about your thoughts! The things we think about impact our living in so many different ways and this is why it is important to get rid of negative distractions and pessimistic attitudes. When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change! Be intentional about what you allow your head to dwell on!

4. Focus on relationships, because we were created to do life together. God did not create us because He needed us. God created us, because He wanted us and He wants us to want each other, because we are better together. Be intentional about your relationships and their care!

5. Begin and end your day with a plan! This is the key to intentional living. Take time at the very beginning of your day to think about and plan for how you want your day to unfold. It will not go exactly as planned, but you will be ready for whatever comes your way. Take time before you go to sleep at night to look back over your day and celebrate the wins and learn from the losses. Be intention about planning your day and you will be amazed at how it opens you up to bless and be blessed.

Blogroll, Growing, Healing, journey, life, mindfulness, personal growth, purpose, spiritual enlightenment

Seven Steps To Living A Life Of Resilience!

One of my favorite series of movies is ROCKY. I love everyone of the movies and have passed that love to the rest of my family and especially my daughters. “Eye Of The Tiger – Girls – Eye OF The Tiger!” I think one of the reasons that so many of us love the Rocky movies is because it is the story of resilience, the ability to get knocked down, get back up and keep on going, no matter what.

Live your life long enough and you are going to get knocked down, but you can’t stay down, because that would not be much of a life would it? As I look back on my life, I have to admit, I have been down many times, but I never stay down, because some how, some where inside of me, my Creator placed a beautiful gift called resilience.

Resilience is about adapting, improvising and learning to overcome. Challenge is a natural part of life that becomes a problem for us, when we resist it. Rather than resisting challenge, we need to learn to embrace it. When we embrace challenge, we learn and grow from it.

At the end of the day, there are only a few things that really matter. Are you thriving or surviving, because God created us to thrive? Are you allowing the love to flow by receiving and sharing love? Are you learning and growing, because this life is all about getting ready for eternity? Are you laughing and enjoying the journey, because life really is a precious gift? We need to get it right, because we all have family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and even strangers that are looking to us for blessing, direction and hope.

Here Are Seven Steps To Living A Life Of Resilience:

1. RELAX! We really do need to learn to chill. I’m not saying that we should not take life seriously, but we don’t need to take ourselves too seriously. Chill out! Take a moment to breathe in, hold it, now breathe out! See, it’s not a big deal after all. I’ve got some very encouraging news for you: The success or failure of this world is not dependent upon you!

2. CHECK YOUR THINKING! There are so many different things that impact our thinking and if we are not careful, we will allow the wrong things, which will lead to stinking thinking. We need to continually check our thinking, where it’s coming from and where it’s going. If our thinking if not right, then we need to fix it.

3. LEARN FROM MISTAKES AND FAILURES! I’ve got some really good news for you. No one expects you to be perfect and if anyone does expect you to be perfect, then they are revealing their imperfection with such an unrealistic expectation. I have always said that if we will learn from a mistake, sin or failure, then it wasn’t a waste, it was an education and people pay big money for an education.

4. REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHOOSE! You cannot choose for anyone else and no one else can choose for you, but you do have this amazing ability to choose for yourself, what you are going to believe and how you are going to react. Choose wisely!

5. PRACTICE FLEXIBILITY! There is a Japanese Proverb that says: “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.” We have to be flexible in this human experience if our Spirit is going to grow us into what we are called and created to be.

6. SET GOALS! Everyday is an opportunity to experience new and amazing things, but most of us miss the divine, because we allow ourselves to be distracted by stuff that really does not matter in the grand scheme of life. Take a look at your spiritual, mental and physical life and focus on becoming all that you were created to be.

7. GROW YOURSELF! Stop worrying about fixing everybody and everything else and make sure that you are the very best you that you can be, because at the end of the day, if we can get this right, then the promise is that God will take care of the rest.

Blogroll, complaining, Condemnation, Criticism, emotions, Excuses, Growing, influence, life, mindfulness, personal growth, self help

Only You Can Prevent Word Fires!

It’s absolutely amazing how careless we have become with our words. I guess we have always been this way, but it seems to have gotten worse with the advent of social media and I think that the ability to hide behind a mask has made some folks a little more brave and a lot more careless with their words.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! -James 3:5

Smokey the Bear taught us that a simple spark can set the woods on fire and destroy in minutes what nature took years to grow and develop. And James is explaining that our words can work in much the same way in our lives and living.

We can use our words to tear down or to build up. Our words will either break us or make us better. If we use our words to complain and spread negativity, then they will defeat and ruin us, as well as those around us. When we line our words up with God’s Word and seek the positivity of the Gospel, then they will lead us to blessing and victory.

I hate to say it, but sometimes, those of us who call ourselves Christians can be some of the most negative and pessimistic people you could ever run across. And before we get to busy thinking that it is someone else that we are talking about here, we would do well to look in the mirror and review some of our more recent conversations for revelations that the Spirit might use to surprise us with some gentle correction.

The bottom line is that we can use our tongues to set a fire that provides a warm, safe place. A place where people can be themselves without fear of retribution, judgement and condemnation. Or we can use our tongues to set a fire that will destroy the very blessings we were created to live in.

I can remember my Granny saying when I was just a little boy: “Think before you speak!” I have found that when I really take the time to do that, sometimes I don’t speak at all, because I know it is better to keep my mounts shut, than to light that fire. At other times, after thinking before I speak, I have found that I changed my words so that I might light a fire of acceptance and comfort of others, which changes their life and mine.

My prayer is that God’s words will be my words and provide comfort, healing, encouragement, joy and love to all around… So I will do my best to think about a couple of other forest animals and what Thumper shared with Bambi: “My Mother said: “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say nothin at all!”