I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day as a beautiful new day begins to dawn on this Friday morning! A beautiful new day...do me a favor Friends, think about those 4 words. They represent renewal, refreshing, hope, opportunity & promise. Truly makes my heart happy. :)
For the last couple of weeks I have been working on a presentation that I will be giving tomorrow. As I have done research, studied & prepared, the thought really hit me, "There is nothing new here." You see, the problems, challenges that the group has asked me to address for them are nothing new. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of articles, books, blogs, etc. about this topic. All have the same general theme in how to correct/fix and yet, the problems & challenges persist. So the question is, if we know the answer(s) why don't we do it? Don't look at me!!! I don't know the answer!!! I am just like you; there are things I know I should do, I know how to do, etc. that I don't do. Why?!?!
Earlier this week I was reading The Purpose Drive Life by Rick Warren. In the chapter titled, "How We Grow", I came across a couple of things that I think hold at least a part of the answer to the question. I will share each excerpt and elaborate briefly.
"Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you are committed to, and I'll tell you what you will be in twenty years. We become whatever we are committed to." - Rick Warren
- We are all choosing to be committed to something and in fact, being committed to nothing is a choice as well. It is important, eternally so, that we choose wisely.
- We are either growing or dying, there really is no in-between. Life isn't really all that hard though we try desperately to complicate it. If the things we are doing are not producing the results we want - be it an investment in relationships or the stock market - we would be wise to consider the commitments we are making, the things we are doing, and take a different course.
- This is a tough one - "they will define you." Friends, we are creating our legacies every single day by the things we do, not the things we intended to do, said we would do, thought about doing, etc. I am going to leave that one alone right there and let us all ponder it...
"To change your life, you must change the way you think. Behind everything you do is a thought. Every behavior is motivated by a belief, and every action is prompted by an attitude. God revealed this thousands of years before psychologists understood it. "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." (Romans 12: 2) - Rick Warren
- Here I think is the key; our thoughts. I am thoroughly convinced that God has a tremendous sense of humor because He gave us the ability to rationalize...and boy do we love to rationalize!
- There is a reason that Romans 12: 2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." It all starts with our thoughts, and where we will go to have them developed.
- Three words that come to my mind when I think about thoughts; faith, hope & believe.
- Faith - Who or what are we putting our faith in? I think, at least for me, this is the foundation of thought.
- Hope - What do we hope for? These things, our hopes, are the things we think on and then act, according to those thoughts. I also want to share a quote here; "No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, yo have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope." - Pittacus Lore
- Believe - Who are you believing in and what are you believing for? Again, our answers to these two questions will shape the actions we will then take
All of this - this beautiful, amazing life that each one of us is privileged to be living right now - is not all that hard to understand. It all starts within the mind and is worked out through our actions. Let us be doer's and not just knower's. :)
Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny." - Mahatma Gandhi
Please don't hesitate to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can contact me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!
Kev
No comments:
Post a Comment