Better Wife
Be patient with your husband. No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. The irony of anger toward a wrongful action is that it spawns new wrongs of its own. Anger almost never makes things better. In fact, it usually generates additional problems. But patience stops problems in their tracks. More than biting your lip, more than clapping a hand over your mouth, patience is a deep breath. It clears the air. It stops foolishness from whipping its scorpion tail all over the room. It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and shows discretion instead of returning evil for evil. Anger is usually caused when the strong desire for something is mixed with disappointment or grief. You don't get what you want and you start heating up inside. It is often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness, or evil motives. Patience, however,, makes us wise. It doesn't rush to judgement but listens to what the other person is saying. Patience stands in the doorway where anger is clawing to burst in, but waits to see the whole picture before passing judgement. Patience helps you give your spouse permission to be human. It understands that everyone fails. When a mistake is made, it chooses to give them more time than they deserve to correct it. It gives you the ability to hold on during the tough times in your relationship rather than bailing out under the pressure. Few of us do patience very well (especially me), and none of us do it naturally. But wise men and women will pursue it as an essential ingredient to their marriage relationships. That;s a good starting point to demonstrate true love. Do not nag your husband. Your husband has problems that are solely his own. He alone is responsible for fixing them. Say it once and don't bring it up again. The garbage is piling up and it's his job. Whose job? His. Things aren't going well at his job. Whose responsibility? His. You need to allow him the time and space to fix it on his own. We may not force, nag, remind, cajole, ridicule, or manipulate. News flash. Your husband is not perfect. Yet. Give him an eternity to get there. (You're going to need the same.) Let the garbage pile up. If it doesn't get to the curb its NMP (not my problem). Let me tell you, that garbage could pile up nine feet high and I'd never touch it! Promise me you'll never tough it again. It could pile up pretty high before he realizes that she was not going to break down and do it for him. Some husbands will hold out for a long time, testing your resolve. Don't give in. Some husbands will try to get you to do things. Stand back. Repeat, "I have faith in you honey!" Have the patience as he works through his problems. Forgive him when he messes up or takes longer than you'd like. And hold back that show of authority which creeps up as forcing, nagging, whining, and manipulating. As you let go of your husband's problems, he will truly begin to grow and develop. He'll face his own issues and learn to handle them himself. He'll ask for your advice and input as needed. Then you'll be true equal partners. And he'll think you're the perfect wife. Of course, we knew that you were.
Todays Challenge: Demonstrate patience and say nothing negative to your spouse at all. Do not nag or remind him to do a chore. If he misses it this is your chance to learn to BE PATIENT. This trial you must overcome. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It's better to hold your tongue than to say something you'll regret.
Better Mother
God trusts women so much that He lets them bear and care for His spirit children. "Some mothers in today's world feel "cumbered" by home duties and are thus attracted by other more "romantic" challenges. Such women could make the same error of perspective that Martha made. The woman, for instance, who deserts the cradle in order to help defend civilization against the barbarians may well later meet, among the barbarians, her own neglected child."
Today's Challenge:
There are always things to do, errands to do, chores to be done. We say we will play with our children when i finish doing this. It's never ending and our children end up getting neglected. More than putting food in their bellies and clothes on their back, put your children first today. PLAY with your children. Get down and play with them. Teach them. Talk to them. They look up to you and are your greatest legacy. The way you treat your child will determine generations to come. It makes a difference to all eternity whether you do right or wrong today. It may not seem like a lot but its everything to a child. You will change their lives forever and how they treat their children. The list goes on. Today everything else comes second. Its ok if there is clothes that need to be put in the wash or dishes in the sink. How do you make time for your children? You let some things go. Just spend time with your children today instead of keeping them in your watchful eye. They need you more than you think. When you think, "let me just do this one thing first," set it aside and say "It's ok. Life goes on. I won't die if this doesn't get done right now."
Better You
When you feel down and things aren't going your way, it is not the end of the world. We let things control our life when things are not what life is about. Focus on what matters most in life. Life is about letting God use you for His purposes. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God. You are not an accident. Your birth was no mishap. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived in the mind of God. He thought of you first. It is not fate, nor chance, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment. You are alive because God wanted to create you! The Bible says, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." God prescribed every single detail of your body. He deliberately chose your race, the color of your skin, your hair, and every other feature. He custom-made your body just the way he wanted it. He also determined the natural talents you possess and the uniqueness of your personality. Because God made you for a reason, he also decided when you would be born and how long you would live. He planned the days of your life in advance, choosing the exact time of your birth and death. God also planned where you'd be born and where you'd live for his purpose. God left no detail to chance. Many children are unplanned by their parents, but they are not unplanned by God. God's purpose took into account human error, and even sin. He has a reason for everything he creates. Every plant and every animal was planned by God, and every person was designed with a purpose in mind. God's motive for creating you was his love. God was thinking of you even BEFORE he made the world. In fact, that's why he created it! God made you so he could love you! God knows what you are going through! Life is suppose to be difficult! It's what enables us to grow. Don't expect God to serve you in your selfish pursuit of personal fulfillment. God is not your servant. Never forget that life is not about you! You exist for God's purpose, not vice versa. Why would God provide heaven on earth when he's planned the real thing for you in eternity? God gives us our time on earth to build and strengthen our character for heaven. The most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most like him, so love is the foundation of every command he has given us: "The whole Law can be summed up in this one command: 'Love others as I have loved you.'" God wants you to serve. He knows your life and what your going through. Let him handle it. He knows what he's doing. All you have to do is serve and do what you can, God will take care of the rest.
Today's Challenge
Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way to finding yourself, your true self. Find someway or someone to serve today. Remember it's not about you! This is why you were created. Once you let God use you for his purposes everything will fall into place. Why? Because when you lose your life for others is when you find it. Post how you made a difference today.
Better Wife, Better Mother, Better You
Once upon a time there was a beautiful young princess. She was sought after by all the charming princes in the surrounding castles, kingdoms, wards, and stakes. She was slim and fit and wore lovely princess clothing and wore lovely princess makeup and had lovely princess hair. Finally, she picked her favorite Prince Charming and he carried her off to his far kingdom and his castle. She was so very happy. She began to work on managing a castle, which was no small feat, let me tell you, and spent many hours cooking, cleaning, shopping, and so forth. (Alas, this was during the Fifth Kingdom when good help was so hard to come by.) Soon, little princelies and little princessettes were born to the happy family. Our fair maiden worked even harder, carting her royal lineage to local jousting practice, princessette training school, and so forth.
As things became busier, the lovely princess makeup was the first to go. Espousing a "natural" look (i.e., raw), our beautiful princess said, "Alas, I do not have time to put on gloss or blush and shall adopt a more earthen look." (Sadly, our beautiful princess had not clued in to the fact that most princes don't run around saying, "Gee, look at that hot princess. She's so 'earthy.' Hubba-hubba!")
Next to go were the princess clothes. As our fair maiden had grown and changed, her clothes no longer fit her more queenly frame. She kept a few and kept attempting to squeeze her queenly frame into princess-frame clothing with some dubious success. (Although the entire kingdom is still mourning the tragic blinding of her faithful dressing-maid that occurred when a button popped off said princess's clothing and took out her poor dressing-maid's eye.) The princess just didn't have time to find any pretty queenly clothes and didn't really have a clue about how to dress more like a queen anyway. As time went on, the Kingdom T-shirt and the Kingdom-brand sweats grew more appealing (and one can be sure that at least no servants were lost or injured in the wearing of such apparel).
The princess's hair had changed dramatically over time as well. The princess was far too busy and far too cheap to visit the Royal Hairdresser to have her roots managed, and once again succumbed to the "earthen" look, i.e., drab, graying roots followed by burnt split ends. She was hoping to start a trend in the kingdom and did try issuing a proclamation declaring this decade the "Eh, so-you-didn't-have-time-to-wash-or-style-it-so-stick-it-up-in-a-ponytail" Decade, but her loyal subjects were most resistant to following this fashion statement.
And now it was time for the Royal Ball. Her firstborn princelie had been scoping the Kingdom chicks and was going to pick out his own lovely. What should the queen wear? She surveyed her shapeless, worn, princess-duds and could find nothing appropriate. As she tried on various items, that pesky full-lengthed mirror kept saying, "Who's the fairest of them all? Certainly not YOU, my dear!" Her hair was a shambles, her face a lumpy mess, her teeth like aged wood-and not in a good way!
Then and there out fair maiden sent out an emergency proclamation. "From here on and henceforth, I shall get my act together and reclaim my fair beauty!" And all the Kingdom Personal Trainers and all the Kingdom Beauty Consultants were summoned. And after six months of great effort, the fair princess emerged at the Royal Ball. And her husband, who had been away in a far country, dropped his jaw and exclaimed, "Oooooh, baby! That's my princess! I'm picking her!" And all the kingdom clapped and were happy and the charming prince and the renovated fair princess lived happily, and attractively, ever after.
Now you may think that this is a funny fairy tale, but sadly for many of us, it is painfully close to the truth. It never ceases to amaze me that so many women let themselves go and yet expect their husbands to simply tolerate their deteriorating appearance. As a wife, we need to do our utmost to try to keep ourselves attractive and appealing to our husbands. They are human. They are normal. They are not attracted to clovenly appearances. They may love you dearly, but we owe our husbands our valiant efforts in taking care to keep ourselves healthy and attractive.
Now in your mind look in the mirror at yourself and see the real you- NOT how you look right now- look at how you believe your spirit looks. What do you look like? Look up and down carefully. That is how you want to be. But be realistic: you will never look like you did in your early twenties. That is not the question. It is how do you look right now, at this age? Don't be unrealistic and say you want to weight what you did when you got married (unless you're a newlywed!). And don't just consider weight issues-what does your mental image look like in all aspects of appearance? That is your goal. Elder Hanks said, "For any choice daughter of God the maximum effort to keep active, to build a strong base of good and vibrant health, to work hard at conditioning and developing a healthy and attractive body-all are especially important." I like how he describes it- "healthy and attractive body." That does not mean we have to be a 10 percent body fat hardbody with abs of steel. It means that we do our best to maintain an attractive body and to keep it fit and healthy.
Todays Challenge:
Let's face it. We all know what to do to improve our body. It's a matter of doing. And most of that begins in our head. You and I both know that all the good intentions in the world, all the bad feelings, all the lists, are completely a waste of time. The moment you truly decide, and I mean REALLY DECIDE AND COMMIT, is the moment you being to change. All the rest is just prep-work. Let me remind you your husband is surrounded by babes at work. He doesnt want to come home to a slug. Never forget that there are plenty of beautiful women wherever he goes; make sure he comes home to one. Today spend extra time getting ready today. Style your hair, spend time on your makeup (look at the talents page), put on a nice outfit (no sweats, t-shirts, or tennis shoes), and when the kids are asleep work out! Post your results in the comments section below!
Better Wife
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:32
Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance. Patience avoids a problem; kindness creates a blessing. One is preventive, the other proactive. These two sides of love are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes are built.
Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likable. When you're kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them.
The Bible keys in on the importance of kindness: "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man" Proverbs 3:3-4). Kind people simply find favor wherever they go. Even at home. But "kindness" can feel a little generic when you try defining it much less living it. So let's break kindness down into four basic core ingredients.
Gentleness. When you're operating from kindness, you're careful how you treat your spouse, never being unnecessarily harsh. You're sensitive. Tender. Even if you need to say hard things, you'll bend over backwards to make your rebuke or challenge as easy to hear as possible. You speak the truth in love.
Helpfulness. Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it's housework, you get busy. A listening ear? You give it. Kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband without worrying about her rights.
Initiative. Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step. It doesn't sit around waiting to be prompted or coerced before getting off the couch. The kind wife will be the one who greets first, smiles first, serves first, and forgives first. They don't require the other to get his or her act together before showing love. When acting from kindness, you see the need, then make your move. First.
Willingness. Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant, or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate. A kind wife ends thousands of potential arguments by her willingness to listen first rather than demand his way.
Jesus creatively described the kindness of love in His parable of the Good Samaritan, found in the Bible-Luke, chapter 10. A jewish man attacked by robbers is left for dead on a remote road. Two religious leaders, respected among their people, walk by without choosing to stop. Too busy. Too important. Too fond of clean hands. But a common man of another race-the hated Samaritans, whose dislike for the Hews was both bitter and mutual-sees the stranger in need and is moved with compassion. Crossing all cultural boundaries and risking ridicule, he stops to help the man. Bandaging his wounds and putting him on his own donkey, he carries him to safety and pays all his medical expenses out of his own pocket.
Where years of racism had caused strife and division, on act of kindness brought two enemies together. Gently. Helpfully. Willingly. Taking the initiative, this man demonstrated true kindness in every way.
Wasnt kindness one of the key things that drew you and your spouse together in the first place? When you married, weren't you expecting to enjoy his kindness for the rest of your life? Didn't your mate feel the same way about you? Even though the years can take the edge off that desire, your enjoyment in marriage is still linked to the daily level of kindness expressed.
The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" (Proverbs 31:26). How about you? How would your husband describe you on the kindness meter? How harsh are you? How gentle and helpful? Do you wait to be asked, or do you take the initiative to help? Don't wait for your spouse to be kind first.
It is difficult to demonstrate love when you little to no motivation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings. Rather, love determines to show thoughtful actions even when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness.
Todays Challenge:
Do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness to your spouse. Once you have completed the task post a comment below.
Better Mother
Slow down, parents! What's your rush, anyway? Your children will be gone so quickly. -James Dobson
It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher, then suddenly they disappear.
Todays Challenge:
Cherish your children. Forgive them when they mess up, teach them in the way they should go, be understanding, loving, patient, tender. They are only here for a little while. They are only hold your hand for a while before they become independent, taking on the things you have taught them through their life. There are 3 ways to teach your children, By example, example, example. Make sure you are treating your children out of love and how you yourself would want to be treated. Pay attention to your children and make sure they know you love them by giving of your time. Spend at least one quality hour with your children today.
Better You
Even yesterday's spiritual experience...does not guarantee us against tomorrow's relapse. Persistence thus matters greatly. Given our weakness...paced progress is essential, much as God used six measured and orderly creative periods (followed by respite) in preparing man and this earth. There is a difference, therefore, between being steadily and effectively or "anxiously" engaged, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, being frantically engaged one moment and being passive and detached the next. It does little good to speak and write brilliantly about a concept such as "eternal progression"if we are unconcerned with daily improvement.
Todays Challenge:
Pick a habit that you need to work on. Take the steps you need to take to progress in the right direction. Constantly move forward taking one step at a time. It all starts with the first step. Take the first step today in the right direction. What habit do you want to cut back on? What habit do you need to start practicing? What is keeping you from moving forward? What obstacles might you face on your journey to perfection? What obstacles might you face? Plan for it in advance so you can turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
Better Wife
Selfishness, which comes in many costumes, is particularly cruel, not only because it gives priority to pleasure, but because it usually means one person's pleasure comes at the expense of another person's pain. Its most fundamental characteristic, however, is that one possessed of selfishness sees others as mere functions or objects to be used-or to be ignored-and not as humans to be helped, to be loved, or to be listened to.
Selfishness need not be gross in order to call the cadence in our lives. It merely needs to deflect us from thinking about an act of service to thinking about needing a new pair of shoes; or from making a nurturing phone call to watching a soap opera.
Selfish people are forever taking their own temperature, asking themselves, "Am I happy?"
Choosing to love your mate will cause you to say "no" to what you want so you can say "yes" to what they need. That's putting the happiness of your partner above your own.
Todays Challenge
Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It's hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says, "I was thinking of you today."
What did you choose to get your spouse? What happened when you gave it? Post a comment Below.
Better Mother
When you teach your son, you teach your son's son. Make sure you do everything out of love. Use your gentlest voice at home. Use training, not punishment. Turn things into a learning situation. Children are not perfect. They are still learning and growing everyday. The first three years are the most important. They watch everything you do. Be a great example for your kids and give them the mom they truly need. Give them your time, love, guidance, and acceptance.
Todays Challenge
Dont yell at your kids today. When they do something wrong or mess up, count to 10 or a 100 if you need to. Tell them why you dont do that and why its important. Make it into a learning experience. Use a soft gentle voice and let them know you still love them.
Better You
Everyday God wants you to be a little more like Him. He doesnt want you to suffer. He wants you to trust Him.
Todays challenge
Strive today to become more like God. We hold on to some things because we are afraid, selfish, prideful, too busy, or any other excuse to keep doing what we are doing even when we know its not right. Trust Him and believe that He will give you something that will make you more happy in return.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person's eye."
Today's Challenge
Don't judge others for what they do or don't do. It's not up to you to judge. Let them live their life while you focus on your own life and your own imperfections. Choose today to think twice before judging someone. There is a bigger picture that you don't see, but God does.
Loving thoughts precede loving actions. When was the last time you spent a few minutes thinking about how you could better understand and demonstrate love to your spouse? What immediate need can you meet? What's the next event (anniversary, birthday, holiday) you could be preparing for? Great marriages come from great thinking.
Today's Challenge
Contact your spouse sometime during the business of the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.
Nothing irritates others as quickly as being rude. Rudeness is unnecessarily saying or doing things that are unpleasant for another person to be around. Genuine love minds its manners.
Todays Challenge:
Treat your mate the same way you want to be treated. Be as considerate to your spouse as you are to strangers and coworkers. Consider what your husband already asked you to do or not to do. If in doubt, then ask.
Life has a purpose. Search for what your purpose in this life is. You were created for a reason.
Todays Challenge:
Write down your abilities and strengths. Search for what your life's purpose is then write a Life Purpose Statement.
Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive. How easily do you get irritated and offended? Some people have the motto, "Never pass up an opportunity to get upset with your spouse." When something goes wrong, they quickly take full advantage of it by expressing how hurt or frustrated they are. But this is the opposite reaction of love.
To e irritable means "to be near the point of a knife." Not far from being poked. People who are irritable are locked, loaded, and ready to overreact.
When under pressure, love doesn't turn sour. Minor problems don't yield major reactions. The truth is, love does not get angry or hurt unless there is a legitimate and just reason in the sight of God. A loving wife is not overly sensitive or cranky but exercises emotional self-control. She chooses to be a flower among the thorns and respond pleasantly during prickly situations.
If you are walking under the influence of love, you will be a joy, not a jerk. Ask yourself, "Am I a calming breeze, or a storm waiting to happen?"
Why do people become irritable? There are at least two key reasons that contribute to it:
Stress. Stress weighs you down, drains your energy, weakens your health, and invites you to be cranky. It can be brought on by relational causes: arguing, division, and bitterness. There are excessive causes: overworking, overplaying, and overspending. And there are deficiencies: not getting enough rest, nutrition, or exercise. Oftentimes we inflict these daggers on ourselves, and this sets us up to be irritable.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint. This means you must balance, prioritize, and pace yourself. Too often we throw caution to the wind and run full steam ahead, doing what feels right at the moment. Soon we are gasping for air, wound up in knots, and ready to snap. The increasing pressure can wear away at our patience and our relationship.
The Bible can help you avoid unhealthy stress. It teaches you to let love guide your relationships so you aren't caught up in unnecessary arguments (Colossians 3:12-14). To pray through your anxieties instead of tackling them on your own (Philippians 4:6-7). To delegate when you are overworked (Exodus 18:17-23). To avoid overindulgence (Proverbs 25:16).
It also exhorts you to take a "Sabbath" vacation day every week for worship and rest. This strategically allows you time to recharge, refocus, and add breathing room or margin to your weekly schedule. Establishing these kinds of extra spaces will place cushions between you and the pressures around you, reducing the stress that keeps you on edge around your mate. But there is a deeper reason why you can become irritable-
Selfishness. When you're irritable, the heart of the problem is primarily a problem of the heart. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34 NKJV). Some people are like lemons: when life squeezes them, they pour out a sour response. Some are more like peaches: when the pressure is on, the result is still sweet.
Being easily angered is an indicator that a hidden area of selfishness or insecurity is present where love is supposed to rule. But selfishness also wears many other masks:
Lust, for example, is the result of being ungrateful for what you have and choosing to covet or burn with passions for something that is forbidden. When your heart is lustful, it will become easily frustrated and angered (James 4:1-3). Bitterness takes root when you respond in a judgmental way and refuse to work through your anger. A bitter person's unresolved anger leaks out when he is provoked (Ephesians 4:31). Greed for more money and possessions will frustrate you with unfulfilled desires (1Timothy 6:9-10). These strong cravings coupled with dissatisfaction lead you to lash out at anyone who stands in your way. Pride leads you to act harshly in order to protect your ego and reputation. These motivations can never be satisfied. But when love enters your heart, it calms you down and inspires you to quit focusing on yourself. It loosens your grasp and helps you let go of unnecessary things.
Love will lead you to forgive instead of holding a grudge. To be grateful instead of greedy. To be content rather than rushing into more debt. Love encourages you to be happy when someone else succeeds rather than lying awake at night in envy. Love says "share the inheritance" rather than "fight with your relatives." It reminds you to prioritize your family rather than sacrifice them for a promotion at work. In each decision, love ultimately lowers your stress and helps you release the venom that can build up inside. It then sets up your heart to respond to your spouse with patience and encouragement rather than anger and exasperation.
Today's Challenge
Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.
What I say unto one, I say unto all, use your gentlest voice at home.
Today's Challenge
Go the entire day without raising your voice. Talk to one another as you would if someone were watching you.
Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Today's Challenge:
Instead of showing off or talking about all your experiences, struggles, and ways you can help; listen to what others have to say and don't worry about how your going to respond or what your going to say next. Just let them talk. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost. Usually we don't realize the most important things in our life until they are gone. We are so blessed and have so much that we don't realize the extent of our blessings. Appreciate the little things in life that make your life so valuable.
Today's Challenge
Instead of looking at what you don't have, make a list and count all the blessings you do have. Family, health, home, a bed to sleep on, blankets to keep warm, food to eat, arms and legs, eyes to see, friends, significant other, children (i count them twice), every little thing, to breathe, to walk, the list goes on. Once you realize how blessed you are you can be content with what you have. Love everything as though it can be taken away from you at any moment.
June 2, 2011:
Little things can mean a lot. We often times look over over doing a small act of kindness or a small act of service because it wont make a difference. Everything we do makes a difference (make sure you read the starfish story on the inspirational quotes and pictures page). Nothing ever goes unnoticed. If it weren't for the little things in life, we would never have big things, because the big things happen when someone starts by taking one small step.
Today's Challenge
Make sure you don't overlook the little things and do a few small acts of kindness today. Do a small service for someone anonymously. No matter how little or how much you think it wont make a difference, just remember that its a little better than it was after you do it, even by the smallest degree.
June 3, 2011:
Treat others like you would want to be treated. There are times when people bring us down and we take it out on other people or pass down the negative attitude, when we can stop it in it's tracks. If you don't like when someone treats you a certain way, don't treat others that way. Remember everyone is a spiritual brother or sister and they have feelings like you. Rise above the situation and be a little nicer than normal. People like to be around those that lift them up.
Today's Challenge
Be kind to others and think about how they feel before you think about yourself. Love one another and be the kind of person people want to associate with. Be friendly and curtious all day no matter the situation.
June 4, 2011:
Everyone goes through trials in life to get where they are. Assume that everything that happens to you does so for some good. It may be hard to see why things happen or how it will help you, but everything has a reason and we just have to trust that if we do what is right we will end up where we are suppose to be. Life goes in cycles between happiness and sadness. Remember when your happy and hold on to that time; remember how it feels, whats important to you, and how you got there so when you go through a rough time you have something to look forward to and remember you can be and will be happy again.
Today's Challenge
Always remember and say to yourself, "I'm suppose to go through this to make me better, not bitter. God obviously knows something i don't, so i will trust Him. Trials test us whether we are what we thought we were so there must be something i need to learn from this to become more like him." Once you find out what it is you need to work on, take the steps to improve.
June 5, 2011:
Two people look at the same thing and see totally different things. Eveyone has an opinion, most of which will be different then yours. It's not that their opinion is wrong, its just looking at it from a different angle. We are usually so focused on how we feel and see things that we forget that everyone views things differently and has a different opinion. Let others be "right" most of the time. That may be hard for alot of us to do, but it's not important who is right or wrong in the scale of things. You can learn alot from people by listening to what they have to say and trying to see things from their point of view. When you think of things from a different perspective our minds expand cause it gets us thinking out side the box and our comfort zone.
Today's Challenge:
Instead of giving your opinion of things, just listen to what someone else has to say and see things from their perspective. You have two ears and one mouth, use them in the same proportion.
June 6, 2011:
Use your life to make something that will outlast it. We are only here for a little while, but we can use our lives to make a difference in the world, in someone's life so that our legacy will live forever. People may not remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel.
Today's Challenge:
Find your purpose and life and live to your full potential. You were destined for great things! Do something today for someone who can never repay you.
June 7, 2011:
Be good an you'll be happy. Commandments were given to us for a reason. Not to make us sad or to take our freedom away, but to make it so you have more freedom and happiness. Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong, healthy and unhealthy, but it is our choice whether we want to be that way or not. When I do good, I feel good. When I don't do good, i don't feel good.
Today's Challenge:
Be good. Make right choices. Keep the commandments. Make better choices. Strive to become a better you.
June 8, 2011:
Forgive like you want to be forgiven. It may be hard to forgive someone, but when you turn the tables around you realize how this affects everyone. It's not easy, but it's not impossible. Think, "will this matter 5 years from now?"
Today's Challenge:
Have you been holding a grudge? Is there someone who has hurt you? Remember those that deserve love the least, need it the most. Take the steps today to forgive that person. Learn to let go and move on. The only person you are hurting is yourself.
June 9, 2011:
You can gain knowledge from everyone. Everyone has something to share and if we listen hard and long enough we will find something we needed to know.
Today's Challenge:
Listen real intently to someone and discover something new.
June 10, 2011:
The dinner table is a great place to learn. A family tradition is that we have dinner all together and we have 3 questions each person answers, "What did you learn today?", "What was the best part of your day?" "What did you do for someone today?" Listen to everybody and parents can use this time to teach your kids about something that applies to what someone else was talking about. Here are other questions to ask at the dinner table each parent should know. Be involved with you family and care about what matters to them.
What was the __________ (choose one: funniest . . . most surprising . . . most predictable . . . dullest) thing that happened to you today?
What was the nicest thing you did for someone else today? What was the nicest thing that someone else did for you today?
If you were writing a newspaper article about your day, what would the headline be?
Tell us three adjectives that describe your day today.
In 60 seconds, tell us as much about your day as you can.
Teach us one thing that you learned today that you think we don’t yet know.
Today's Challenge:
Have dinner together every night and start having family discussions at dinner. Use the ones provided or make up some of your own. Share your experience.
June 11, 2011:
Work is the best way to kill time. People often say they are bored or wish time would go by faster. There is always work to do and people that need your help. Find something you are passionate about and use that to help other people. Whenever you find yourself feeling bored, get up and start moving around. Just stand up and move. Find something to do or someone to help. Service is hard to start but once you do its hard to stop. Time will go by so much quicker if you stop watching the clock and start working.
Today's Challenge
Stay busy. Make a list of things to do, things that need to get done, people that need help, and how you can help these people with the talents you possess. Use the activities page to get ideas or follow along on the daily chores to keep busy.
June 12, 2011:
Your expression is the most important thing you can wear. People want to be around happy people and others that bring them up. A smile can change someone's day and is contagious. I think the most beautiful people in the world are the ones that smile. You can have the nicest clothes but if you walk around without a smile your as ordinary as everyone else. Your smile is what makes you extraordinary and other people will want to be around you because they see you are happy and everyone wants a piece of happiness. Go ahead...make my day!
Today's Challenge
Smile. Even as you are walking around the store or around your house or out for a walk, make sure that the first thing you put on is a smile. :) Watch the "Beautiful to Him" song posted under the Inspirational Stories and Pictures page.
June 13, 2011:
Never tell yourself you cannot do something. One of my favorite quotes says, "You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you can do. There are NO limitations to what you can do, except the limitations to what you can't do. Don't think you can't, think you can." If you want something bad enough you will do everything in your power to get it. For instance, if you want to go to the olympics you will hire the greatest trainer, practice 20 hours a day 7 days a week, do everything possible to be the best athlete. If you wanted your house perfectly clean in a week, you would spend night and day cleaning, organizing, getting rid of things, vacuuming, working room by room to get it done without a moment to lose. You can do anything!
Today's Challenge
What is something that you have put off because you thought you could never do it. If you want it bad enough you can do it! Do EVERYTHING in your power to reach your goal.
June 14, 2011:
Give because you want to touch someone's life. Service is so powerful and it's one thing that people will always remember you for. I post on this blog so hopefully I can touch at least one person's life. It may not be much but even a little thing which we may think won't make a difference might change a person's entire life. EVERYTHING we do affects someone else. YOU can change the entire future by doing just a simple act of kindness. Read the "Anyway" Poem on my Inspirational Stories and Pictures Page. Serving is contagious and it is the best feeling in the world. The answer to everything is Service.
Today's Challenge
Do an act of kindness. Do something for someone who can never repay you.
June 15, 2011:
An opportunity is hidden in every adversity. We are usually too blind to see the lessons to learn and other opportunities given to us during adversity. Trials make us go that extra mile that we really didn't want to take or thought we couldn't take. Life would be boring without trials, and each trial gives us the opportunity to change and become stronger. We may not realize the reason or why certain things happen to us but later on in life we will find out why. God is aware of what you are going through and knows you better than you know yourself and He just wants you to see what He sees.
Today's Challenge
What are you currently going through that you feel is a trial in your life? Look for what opportunities that may come from this or how you can help other people? Is the trial trying to teach you something?
June 16, 2011:
Chasing Your Passion
Who wouldn’t prefer to spend their days doing what they love to do instead of being over-involved with tasks they have to do? I’m sure that all of us would rather spend our time fulfilling our dreams and aspirations, but few of us ever do. How many of us are working a job we don’t like, in a place where we feel under appreciated? Unfortunately, far too many of us. How many of us have almost given up on the dreams and aspirations we set years ago? Again, too many. So what is holding us back? To put it briefly, we’re not following our hearts and pursuing our passions.
"There is only one success — to be able to spend your life in your own way."
Christopher Morley
We are not fair to ourselves when we stifle our creativity and imagination, and place limitations on our abilities. One thing I have learned in my many years of interacting with people is that each of us has special talents, gifts, and abilities that are distinctively unique. If you don’t use them, you risk the chance of losing them. Abraham Maslow said, "A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be." So can you.
"My mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general; if you become a priest, you’ll end up as the pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as a Picasso."
Pablo Picasso
You were placed here for a reason, and there is an important purpose that gives your life meaning and direction. Your purpose sculpts and influences all of those wonderful dreams you hold close. So why not pursue your passions enthusiastically, and design your life around those activities that excite, inspire, and move you to action. Discover your purpose, pursue your passions, and you will make your dreams come alive.
Today's Challenge
Write down what you are passionate about. Even if you are just starting to pursue your dream, keep to it and don't stop doing what you love. Do what you love everyday!
June 17, 2011:
Keep on trying till you get it right. No one ever gets anything right on the first try. Practice makes perfect and you have to go through all the obsticles if you want to be the best at it. Usually people quit if they fail. Only the extraordinary people will choose to keep getting up after they fall even if it takes them a thousand trys. Don't be ordinary, be extraordinary. If people laugh at you or bring you down, it's only because you are above them and they were not strong enough to keep at it like you.
Today's Challenge
Try, try again. Don't stop till you get it right and to where you want to be. Don't let anything get in your way. Remember failure is meant to make you better, not bitter. Stand up more times than you fall.
June 18, 2011:
Don't choose a profession just for money. Do something that you love and are passionate about. You should love what you do. Your profession should make you want to get out of bed to go to work and what drives you. Look where you are now. Are you happy with your profession? Do you love what you do? If not, do what you love and make the change.
Today's Challenge:
Discover what you love to do and what you are good at. Use your gifts and talents to better people's lives. Spend an hour each day promoting what you love. If it is something that you are passionate about, nothing else matters.
June 19. 2011:
Don't take action when you are angry. It's like a drunk driver. Instead push your mental pause button and wait 100 seconds before you respond. If your really angry count to 1000. Its better to say nothing, than something you will regret. Anger will only cause more anger and problems.
Today's Challenge:
Choose to not react negatively. Push your mental pause button and refuse to say anything back when your angry. Take a time out of the conversation. Communicate when your both calm and you can talk about it sensely. Use I statements. I feel...Use a soft voice. You can attract more bees with honey than vinegar.
June 20, 2011:
Do something every day that you don't want to do. This is the first golden rule. We all know life isn't fair and things aren't handed to us. We must work for it and to get the most out of life we must do things that we don't want to do but will leave us better in the end once we do them. If we practice this golden rule it will be easier for us to do things we don't want to because we trained ourselves to do them without complaint.
Today's Challenge:
What have you been putting off lately because you didn't want to or didn't feel like doing it? Do it today and don't stop till it's done.
June 21, 2011:
Out of the Rut
Do you ever the feeling that you are working at the wrong job, or stuck in the wrong place? Do you sometimes sense you’re associating with the wrong kind of people? Do you ever think that you may be doing the wrong things, and going the wrong way? Does it feel like you are not where you want to be and getting what you want out of life? If you are feeling out of balance, or that your life is out of control, chances are you’re stuck in a rut.
We all have been stuck in some form of a rut at one time or another. When you're stuck, you're not where you want to be in life, nor are you doing what you want to do, and you're probably not any getting closer to where you want to go either. You just keep doing what you've been doing, even if what you're doing hasn't been producing the results you want.
“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind.
Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Napoleon Hill
When you're stuck, the only way out is out. This means doing something different - and doing something different now. If you truly want to break out the rut you're in, it's going to take a lot of effort, dedication and focus. By adopting a brand new approach to living, where you're willing to try something new, maybe even something totally off-of-the-wall, amazing things begin to occur. Instead of getting the same results you've been getting, you unleash the wonderful brilliance you hold deep within. By choosing a different attitude and different approach, your life becomes all that you have ever hoped it could be - and more.
Make something positive happen this week,
Kevin
June 22, 2011:
Do You Believe in Miracles?
Have you ever suffered through a time in your life, where you felt it would take an absolute miracle to overcome it? Then, almost miraculously, there’s a solution to overcome your problem. At the precise moment when you needed it the most, the miracle you had been praying for arrived as if on cue - and just in the nick of time.
Wayne Dyer said, “I am realistic - I expect miracles.” What a great way to approach life, not hoping for miracles, but actually expecting miracles to happen. I’m not recommending that you depend on miracles to bail you out. Success in any area of life takes effort. However, the expectation that something really great can happen in your life paves the path for miracles to take place.
Personally, I believe in miracles and expect them to happen, and they do. I see miracles happen every week with people I interact with. While these miracles don’t always happen the way people might envision them to be, or arrive exactly when they would like them to occur - the solution to overcoming the challenge seems to show up.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein
How you choose to spend your days on earth is totally in your hands. But since you’ve only got one chance to live your life, why not choose to make it a remarkable, magnificent, and miraculous life? When you approach each new day expecting something really great to happen, it does. The best part is that you also become a miracle in the making.
Be good to yourself and others this week,
Kevin
Have you ever suffered through a time in your life, where you felt it would take an absolute miracle to overcome it? Then, almost miraculously, there’s a solution to overcome your problem. At the precise moment when you needed it the most, the miracle you had been praying for arrived as if on cue - and just in the nick of time.
Wayne Dyer said, “I am realistic - I expect miracles.” What a great way to approach life, not hoping for miracles, but actually expecting miracles to happen. I’m not recommending that you depend on miracles to bail you out. Success in any area of life takes effort. However, the expectation that something really great can happen in your life paves the path for miracles to take place.
Personally, I believe in miracles and expect them to happen, and they do. I see miracles happen every week with people I interact with. While these miracles don’t always happen the way people might envision them to be, or arrive exactly when they would like them to occur - the solution to overcoming the challenge seems to show up.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein
How you choose to spend your days on earth is totally in your hands. But since you’ve only got one chance to live your life, why not choose to make it a remarkable, magnificent, and miraculous life? When you approach each new day expecting something really great to happen, it does. The best part is that you also become a miracle in the making.
Be good to yourself and others this week,
Kevin
June 23, 2011:
Snatching Victory Out of the Jaws of Defeat
One of the most important success qualities is maintaining a positive attitude during the tough times. Even the most gifted and successful people experience setbacks and disappointment. Yet, these individuals continue to stay focused on their goals and desires, even when they experience failure and discouragement. They gain knowledge from their adversity, rather than let it defeat them.
“Troubles are often the tools by which God fashions us for better things.”
- Henry Ward Beecher
If you want to turn your defeats into victories, begin by studying your setbacks. When you lose, learn from that situation. Have the courage to be your own constructive critic and take responsibility for your role in the issue. Determine what your weaknesses are and address them.
Ask yourself some questions. What were the key factors in creating this issue? What actions could I have taken that would have prevented this from happening? What actions did I take that might of contributed to this problem? How will I prevent this from happening in the future? By accepting our role in negative experiences we begin the process of no longer being a victim of our circumstances.
”As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Another important thing to remember is to stop the blame game. Blaming others or bad luck for the setbacks in your life will not help you move forward. Learn from your mistakes, and the mistakes of others. These are invaluable lessons that will help you make better decisions in the future. Remember there is a good side in every situation. Find it, and defeat the discouragement.
Disappointments and setbacks are painful, but with the right attitude you will find that these situations can be most valuable to you. Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged, or defeated by the obstacles in your life. Use these stumbling blocks as tools that will ensure your success and victory in the future.
Be good to yourself this week,
Kevin
June 24, 2011:
The Right Attitude
As I witness the transformation of the clients I work with, the more I realize the impact attitude has on true happiness and achievement. To me, attitude is more important than what happened to you in the past, than your education, than money, your circumstances, past failures, and what other people think, say or do. It is more important than your appearance, talents, or skill. Attitude will make or break a company, a home, and you. It is important to begin each day with the right attitude.
“Nothing can stop the man with the right attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help with man with the wrong attitude.”
W.W. Ziege
The way you view the world is formed by your beliefs, your values, and your attitude. Each of these is responsible for your environment, your problems, your experiences, your celebrations, and your choices and responses. Your Attitude determines the direction you are going in life. It is either the lock or the key to the door on the doorway of fulfillment. You see, you attitude is everything, and it either makes you or breaks you.
Remember, you cannot control everything that goes on in the world, and you cannot control what other people think. The one thing you can control is the way you behave and think. That’s your attitude. It’s the foundation of all the great individuals who have ever lived and, of course, the foundation of all the failures as well. Make your attitude a good one and your attitude will make you.
Do something kind for yourself and others this week,
Kevin
As I witness the transformation of the clients I work with, the more I realize the impact attitude has on true happiness and achievement. To me, attitude is more important than what happened to you in the past, than your education, than money, your circumstances, past failures, and what other people think, say or do. It is more important than your appearance, talents, or skill. Attitude will make or break a company, a home, and you. It is important to begin each day with the right attitude.
“Nothing can stop the man with the right attitude from achieving his goal;
nothing on earth can help with man with the wrong attitude.”
W.W. Ziege
The way you view the world is formed by your beliefs, your values, and your attitude. Each of these is responsible for your environment, your problems, your experiences, your celebrations, and your choices and responses. Your Attitude determines the direction you are going in life. It is either the lock or the key to the door on the doorway of fulfillment. You see, you attitude is everything, and it either makes you or breaks you.
Remember, you cannot control everything that goes on in the world, and you cannot control what other people think. The one thing you can control is the way you behave and think. That’s your attitude. It’s the foundation of all the great individuals who have ever lived and, of course, the foundation of all the failures as well. Make your attitude a good one and your attitude will make you.
Do something kind for yourself and others this week,
Kevin
June 25, 2011:
Do You Have The Time?
Time is the one resource that each of us is given equally. No matter if you are rich or poor, young or old, everyone gets 24 hours day, 168 hours a week, and 365 days a year. How we manage to use or misuse each day's allocation of time plays a role in what we get from life. If we use our time wisely we can accomplish great things. On the other hand, if we fail to seize our defining moments, we miss out on a lot of what life has to offer.
"Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps
moving but does not make any progress.''
Alfred A. Montapert
How do you spend your time? Are you working towards your goals and dreams, or are you simply passing the time and taking up space? Are you using your time for worthwhile activities, or on those things that offer little value?
“Until you value yourself, you will not value your time.
Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
M. Scott Peck
The key to managing your time is freeing it up to create more time for what matters most to you, including being with the people you love and doing those things you love to do. Look at how you use your time over a week, and identify those things that merit your attention, and what’s not worth doing at all. I encourage you to live today, and tomorrow, with all the purpose and passion you can gather. Look for opportunities to savor each minute of each day, and live life to its fullest.
Have a purposeful week,
Kevin
June 26, 2011 - July 2, 2011:
Out on a Limb
I was watching a squirrel in a tree jumping from one branch to another and marveling at how it would go out to the edge of some limbs even though the branch was bending. At one point a branch gave way and the squirrel fell a bit before jumping to another limb. For many of us there are times when going out on a limb can be a risky proposition. The limb might break, or you might lose your grip, and you find yourself plummeting to the ground.
"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"
Frank Scully
Whenever you take a chance and go out on a limb, you risk the possibility of falling flat on your face. However, in order to enjoy the “fruit” of your labor you have to keep climbing, and occasionally have the courage to go out on limb. Unfortunately, we often fear the prospect of failing or making a mistake. So rather than climbing the tree, or boldly reaching for opportunities, too many people elect to remain on the ground where it is perceived to be safe. While staying on the ground may keep you from falling from the tree it doesn’t prevent you from falling down.
“Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The 'sure thing' boat never gets far from shore.”
Dale Carnegie
We all want to enjoy a certain amount of success and happiness. But, in order to make our dreams come true, we must be willing to take a chance and go out on a limb. Listen to that part of yourself that wants you to use your God given talents and gifts, and is ready for you to climb out on the limb and grab the sweet fruit of life.
Will you fall from the tree from time-to-time? Of course you will - but so what. Falling is not a big deal if you are willing to start climbing again. Why not take a chance and go out on a limb; climbing above the rest of the crowd and reaching for the best that life has to offer. As long as you have the courage to keep climbing, and go out on a limb from time-to-time, you are going to reach your ultimate destination.
Take a chance on yourself this week,
Kevin
July 3, 2011- July 9,2011:
Believe It
Have you ever been in a situation where you have been told that you are not capable of doing something you know you can do? I am sure you have, and it was probably from someone who didn’t believe in your abilities. Instead of building you up and supporting you, these folks seem intent on breaking you down.
These types of people have probably allowed someone else to steal away their beliefs, so they feel they need to pass on the negativity to you. If you are ever going to achieve what you want to accomplish, and become the person you to be, I advise you to not listen to these people.
"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities!
Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy."
Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale
Rather than waste time looking for reasons why something cannot be done, you can choose to invest your time wisely by looking for ways to make it happen. Why waste your time listening to those who tell you that you aren’t smart enough, good enough or lucky enough to make a difference when you can make history instead?
When you truly believe in yourself and your abilities, does it really matter what anyone else thinks or says? The only opinion that means anything at all during the make or break moments of life is your own. When you work at developing the confidence that a powerful, deep seated belief system provides, you can accomplish virtually anything - even those things others think you can’t do.
While you are sure to experience setbacks in your quest to achieve, it is your deep seated belief in yourself and your abilities that will keep you going and moving forward. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad. When you believe in yourself, and your abilities, nothing can hold you back or hold you down. Don’t allow what anyone has to think or say keep you from making the most of what you have been blessed with. Just believe it and then go out and achieve it.
Be good to yourself and others this week,
Kevin
