Don't Play Small

Strengths are found in all of us. We have strengths that are valuable. Some of these may be categorized as a talent, but some are simply just a strength. We also have weaknesses. Some weaknesses should stay as a weakness and focus on our strengths.

When you have a strength, it should be used. It should be exercised. When you use things that are beneficial or a strength of yours, you enjoy doing it and look forward to the next opportunity.

I remember not liking to read as a student in school. The more I was told to read the more I wasn't desiring to do it. It wasn't that I hated it, but just wasn't inclined to do it if I was given "free time."

We tend to settle too often because we feel we must focus on our weaknesses and not our strengths. That brings us to this week's quote...

There is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. ~ Nelson Mandela

If you simply continue to settle for less, you are not going to get anymore. What is something you want out of life that hasn't been able to be achieved?

I learned to develop a "you never know" kind of approach to many things in life. When you talk yourself out of something, you never will achieve it. But when you just go for it, because "you never know" then you you'd be amazed at what can come of it.

Go for it!

Now it's your turn...what do you wish you could have not "played small" with in the past?

Surge Ahead So You Don’t Miss Out

I recently took a “test” that determined what my top five strengths are out of thirty-four possibilities. It was a book I was given called “Strengths Finder 2.0”. As I am in ministry, it is not a religious book. I found the top five accurate, in the sense that I can see myself in these strengths.

One of the strengths that came up was “Learner”. I won’t get into the details, but when I read this week’s quote, I went back to this strength to maybe see why this quote “spoke” to me…here it is…

The limit of your present understanding is not the limit of your possibilities.  ~ Guy Finley

If I were to ever have let my present conditions or understanding be the “iron fist” of my life, I know I would not have been able to do some of the things I’ve done. I cannot say that I have never succumbed to that “fist”, which has caused me to miss out on things in life.  I wished I wouldn’t have, so that my life may have been better.

I like to “put myself out there” and see what will happen. If I get a “no” or no response, that is OK, but what if I get a “yes”!  I shoot for “yes” and accept the “no”. But, so I don’t miss out, I surge ahead to see what will happen. May you do the same…expand your possibilities…full-speed ahead!

Being Strong

A lot of people have what is commonly referred to as a "sweet tooth". I'm one of those people. I tend to want to have something sweet, even if small, after a meal. Sometimes I come up with quirky things to satisfy that craving. It can be really difficult to resist. Maybe one of the things that you crave is chocolate...which brings us to this quote...

Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of those pieces. ~ Judith Viorst

Strength is defined by Webster as "the quality or state of being strong". This can cover different aspects. For instance, knowing when to say no to things, standing up in the midst of trials, or lifting great amounts of weight.

Life is full of choices. May God give you the strength, as you end your week, to make good choices.

Seeking strength...

Kick in Teeth...Good?

Walt Disney, the man, was so poor, at one point, he was forced to eat dog food. He also realized that releasing Bambi (1942) during wartime was not the best thing to do (imagine seeing Bambi's mom being shot and it reminding you of loved ones at war). (website reference at bottom)

Walt suffered through lots of difficulties, but if you look at what Disney has become, the end result is definitely worth the persistence and perseverance. Look at this week's quote about Walt Disney...

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me ... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." - Walt Disney

I did some searching and found that Walt Disney Incorporated did a total of over 37 billion dollars in revenue in 2007. That looks like 37,000,000,000 with the zeros involved. That is over six times more than the population of the planet! Success doesn't come in a short time. Success doesn't come without troubles.

What are you passionate about in life? What are one of your goals for your life? If you could do anything for a hobby or job, what would it be? What keeps you from pursuing that goal? Walt had a talent and dreams. He pursued them and found success. May we look for ways we can pursue our goals - who knows what the future holds!

Anticipating the future...

http://www.disneydreamer.com/Pin.htm

E-mail Encouragement: Which Size of Flame?

Being strong in just about every situation is a good quality. Strong bones help you be supported. Strong heart helps you live longer. Strong muscles help you run faster, jump higher, lift more, etc. Strong teams help you win more. Strong faith helps you not stumble. Each one of those becomes stronger because of strains that are placed upon them to cause them to become stronger. This brings us to this week’s quote…

Just as a small fire is extinguished by the storm whereas a large fire is enhanced by it - likewise a weak faith is weakened by predicament and catastrophes whereas a strong faith is strengthened by them." ~ Viktor E. Frankl

The recent California wildfires were not diminished by the wind; rather, they were enhanced, to the point of destroying acres and homes. However, blow on a candle hard enough and it will go out. Which one defines your faith? Do you have a “California wildfire” faith that is raging? Or a candle-sized faith? The one can handle about anything that is thrown at him, the other can’t handle a single bad day. Maybe you would be somewhere in the middle…but where? Would your faith look like a controlled forest fire, a pile of leaves burning, a fire place fire, or like candles on a birthday cake?

How do you respond to bad predicaments? Does it weaken your faith or strengthen your faith? When your faith is stronger, it strengthens it. If it is too weak for the storm, it will be made even weaker. If you find yourself having a period of weak faith, pray that God will strengthen it. If you’re going through a rough patch and feel the need to share, let me know and I will be glad to pray for you! May your faith in other people be made strong enough to not tackle your burdens by yourself!

Keeping in (faith) shape ~

E-mail Encouragement: Strength

I hope you've had a good week, thus far. With last week being so busy, it has nice to have a "less busy" week.

We've all had our share of struggles. From the smallest to the biggest, the least frustrating to the most, struggles are struggles. However, most struggles help us learn lessons, which help us cope with life. Think about this as you read this week's quote...

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

You simply cannot be strong all the time. You might be able to appear strong, but you will wear yourself out trying to be strong. In order to become strong in muscular strength you must perform some type of exercise which exerts tension on muscles. This causes the muscle to actually tear, but is replaced by more muscle cells. When we go through hardships and don't give up we may "tear" but it is replaced by more "cells" to enable us to get through the situation and/or learn from it for the next time.

Our hope is not hardship, but not surrendering to the inevitable will develop strength.

Having a hardship this week? May God bless you as you seek Him through it all and become "stronger" in the end!

Blessed by Him ~