Life: A Thorny Journey?

"Just rip it off quickly!" is the thought that some people take with the removal of band-aids. It may hurt at first, but it is better than going through the slow agonizing pain of removing it slow. Such can be instances in life.

When life seems to be going rough, removing myself or my thoughts from the situation and creating a new direction for my thoughts really seems to help. Even when I still have to deal with the "miserable" situation, adjusting my thoughts still seems to help. It is actually amazing how effective this works. This brings us to this week's quote...

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. ~ Voltaire

How often have you been one to dwell in a negative situation? Presuming you are no longer in that situation, did that situation compel you or did you seem to sit, mentally, in that situation?

I have noticed in my 5-year-old that he seems to choose to stay miserable. He can sit and whine/wail longer than I would imagine anyone would do that. Part of it is his headstrong attitude but some of it is simply his choice.

I think if we knew how much better life would be if we would get out of a situation, we'd choose that. However, for whatever reason, we choose to stay in the situations and it ends up wasting too much of our life that we cannot get back.

Voltaire had some good thoughts to speak of life as having its misfortunes, yes it will. However, it is better to move through those and get back to a pleasant form of life. It is much better on the other side!

Now it's your turn...when has this quote held true to you?

Goal Setting

If you don’t set a goal you won’t have much to focus on.  That is one of the main reasons for setting goals – to have focus. Without focus one will be going back and forth to one task and then to another, without getting either of them completed.

You could be one that sets goals and accomplishes them pretty easily or you could be one that has several goal setting tasks going on at once.  As important as goal setting is, this week’s quote caused me to think about a logical part of goal setting that I had never considered.  Here is this week’s quote…

The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.  ~ Jim Rohn

The journey you experience on your way to accomplishing the goal is going to be more valuable than completing the goal.  That is super logical.  If you think about it and the victories and failures that you experience from point A to point B are going to teach you invaluable lessons.  There are going to be times when a small victory will come quickly and easy.  Where as there will be failures that will be figured out after a lot of groundwork was laid.

I currently have a situation where I have taken apart every possible part and the mechanism still doesn’t seem to work correctly.  I don’t know if the end result will be figuring out the problem or buying a new piece of equipment.  However, part of the value in the project has been being able to learn about the mechanics of the product.

I dare not suggest that anyone avoid setting goals.  One thing I do suggest is that you will look forward to the journey and the value that comes from going from point A to point B.

Enjoying Doing What You Cannot Do

There is something that is in us that enjoys doing what someone tells us we cannot do. As I was a child, then a teen, there were times when I did things which I knew I couldn't do. Now, as a parent, I see that in my son. Even though he is 21-months, he will still go near something and we can tell him "no" and he may go ahead and do it. What is worse than that is when he gets this impish smile on his face and then does whatever he isn't supposed to do. He even thinks it is funny. To be honest, it is cute and funny, but I can't let him see that!

"Rules are made to be broken" and boundaries are made to be crossed, these could be some of your personal philosophies. You may take great pleasure in seeing how fast you can drive before you get caught or pushing someone to their breaking point.

As those focus on the negative, let's think about focusing a bit on the positive...which brings us to this week's quote...

The great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. ~Walter Bagehot

If the statement is true, and for many we have experienced it or observed it, then maybe you cannot be successful. You cannot make good decisions. You cannot go to college. You cannot graduate. You cannot ______!

Sometimes when I tell my son that he cannot touch something, he has this deep desire to go and touch it; regardless of the outcome.

If someone says you cannot do something, look for the opportunity to take pleasure in making sure it happens.

Looking for pleasure in life? Do what people have told you

Have You Got a Second (Wind)?

As I begin to creep near mid-30's, I realize that my body is definitely not in shape. Though I have an education in exercise and the science involved with it, my personal philosophy on exercise is that I need to be working toward a goal each time I attempt to "work out". I have never received any long-term "high" from pushing weights up, letting them down, pushing them up, letting them down, and so on. The same goes with treadmills and indoor bikes. If you don't go anywhere, what's the use? My thought is, I would rather load bales of hay because I would be accomplishing something in the mean time. With that being my philosophy, I have not caught on to the exercise bug. Therefore, I am out of shape and know that it doesn't take long to need to take a breather.

Too often in life we look at goals we have, and quit before we get the chance to get a second wind. I encourage you to not give up on your goals. That brings us to this week's quote...

Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out if they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you. ~ William James

I love to play sports, as I enjoy getting the chance to "move toward a goal" of scoring. Even though I may take a breather from time to time, I enjoy the opportunity to keep playing, especially when that second wind comes!

Too many of us exercise our dreams like we exercise our bodies (if you exercise your body a lot, then you may exercise your dreams like others exercise their bodies). We have not lifted, ran, swam, etc., in so long our "dream shape" is very out of shape. You may start to dream, then you "run out of breath". Go for the second wind! What do you dream for yourself, your family, your church, or your community? It will probably amaze you at the energy that comes from pursuing your dreams!

Keeping in "dream shape"...

Do Your Best - Don't Worry About the Rest

My parents always told me to "do my best". They didn't expect perfection, but just that I try my best. As I have chosen a field which involves constant expectations, I still keep in mind what my parents said to me many years ago. This week's quote inspired me to do my best and not worry about the rest...

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. ~ Abraham Lincoln

There was another phrase my parent's said a lot, "Don't worry about others, worry about yourself". Pairing that with the first phrase creates a concept that when you are trying to do all you can, what other people think is meaningless.

We must be confident enough in our own decisions that we are not overly concerned with what other people think. I know I am not perfect and I make mistakes, but I am confident of the goal that I aimed to achieve. As a minister, there is never a time that I do something that I do not have a purpose and a goal in mind.

As you go through life, may you "do your best" and be able to look back and not worry about anyone who may say something against you.

Doing my best...