Your problems don't know it's a New Year

Do trees know a new year is beginning? Do animals? What about babies? New Year is in fact the product of human traditions. So much so that in our Gregorian calendar, it falls on January 1st. In the Jewish calendar, it ranges from September 5th to October 5th. The Chinese New Year falls between January 21st to February 20th. It seems that New Year's Day depends on where and in which culture you were born.

Customs people observe during this holiday season, and the resulting atmosphere they create, make people believe that, as if by magic, the change of calendar year will bring positive changes to their lives.

"Happy New Year" to me, is the most annoying. It's like a social obligation. If you don't comply, it's like there is something wrong with you. "He didn't wish me a Happy New Year. What's wrong with him?" Is it just me or doesn't anyone see that wishing a Happy New Year has never made a difference in anyone's life? It has never brought more health, more money, more happiness, or anything else. But the pressure is so strong that every year I still find myself letting out one or two "Happy New Year's", just so people won't think I'm an E.T.

Then there are the fireworks — to me, the height of foolishness and disrespect for those who prefer a regular night's sleep. A visual spectacle, no doubt. Practical use? None.

Someone will say, "But these celebrations don't hurt anyone. Life would be boring without them. Don't be a killjoy!"

I am not against parties. If you read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, you will see that God is the biggest party animal ever. Sometimes I wonder how the Jewish people did any work at all, with so many feasts throughout the year. However, those feasts had a spiritual background, reminiscent of some past event that God didn't want His people to forget. Even so, as people moved away from God, these parties became traditions and outlets of human lust, as God Himself said:

I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. (Amos 5:21) Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. (Isaiah 1:14)

The essence of these words, and the context in which God spoke them, meant to express this thought:

What good are your parties, food and drink, music and dancing — if you don't do what is right?

Your problems, challenges, and dreams don't know it's a New Year. They go on, indifferent to the calendar — unless you decide to do what is right, what needs to be done to overcome and achieve them.

Instead of wishing a "Happy New Year", fireworks, wearing white, and all the rest of it, make courageous decisions to change your life; do what needs to be done; and be committed to the changes you want to see.

The day you do this — be it January 1st, May 24th, August 7th ... — is the day your New Year will begin.

Mental ruts

What makes a rut? If you've ever driven on a dirt road in wet weather, you know that drivers tend to aim their wheels at the tracks left by other vehicles. It's instinctive, because somehow we think, "If others have driven through here without problems, it's probably safe for me to drive through here too."

That's how ruts are made. The deep tracks on the road, left by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles. Sure they are often safer. But another characteristic they have is that once you're in one, it's hard to get out. That's why they say, "stuck in a rut".

The same process can happen in your mind. You can get into a habit, a pattern of behavior, or way of thinking that begins to condition you to always do the same thing. You do it all the time, and you don't even think about it anymore. You're on auto-pilot. After a while, it seems like it's the only way you know to behave, think, or do things. Life is dull, you're not getting what you want, but at the same time, it's hard to change. You're stuck in a mental rut.

Mental ruts, like all ruts, are very tempting to fall into, and very hard to get out of.

It takes a bold driver to get out of the rut and try a new path. To get out of your mental ruts, you need to develop the boldness to think differently; to refuse to stay on the beaten path of your thoughts; to force your eyes to look at all the virgin space on the road, left and right of the rut, and desire touching it.

Say you're pitying yourself, for example. You're thinking like a victim and just blaming everyone else for your misfortunes. That's your mental rut. How do you get out of it?

Just look at all the other options to the way you're thinking. For example, you can reach for your self-respect and decide not to do things to get the attention and pity of others. You can use whatever happened to you as a motivator to bounce back. You can stop looking at the people who hurt you and start looking at yourself. You can stop paying attention to how you feel and start asking yourself what you can do to get out of your situation.

All these other options are what's to the right and left of your mental rut. It's all there, and much more.

You just need to be bold and desire it enough to take action.

A two-way street

God knows your requests, everything that you expect to receive from Him. Have no doubt about it. According to your faith, you will receive them.

The question is:

Do you know what God has asked of you? And most importantly:

Have you honored His request yet?

One world, two halves

Half the world doesn’t know how capable it is, and the other half keeps wondering if it is as capable as the first. That means if you believe YOU are capable, you will be better than most people.

Then add faith in God to that, and you will be invincible.

What faith can do

I have counseled a lot of women (and men) who have never been able to bounce back from experiences like Maritza's. Counseling, books, therapy, religion — nothing helped.

But there's something about the power of God that manifests through faith and prayer. Unfortunately, many people will not pay much attention or give it credit. For some reason, the $120 an hour shrink, the $499 seminar, or the $19.99 book that don't help, seem much more appealing.

Here's Maritza's story, from Houston TX.

A simple resolution for a better 2012

One of the things I love the most in my wife is her smile — not least because it's a true smile. She's a happy person.

But it also works the other way around. People who smile more make more friends, feel better, are more confident, attract more people, close more deals, get more "yes" answers than "no", are healthier — and so they end up happier. That's not just me saying it. This is research-proven. Just look it up.

So, what if you tried to smile more?

Hey, it's free.

One thing you need to know about Christmas

I boycott Christmas. But there's something you need to know about the birth of Christ:

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be...?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you... For with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1.34-37

His birth was a miracle. All His life He did miracles. His resurrection was a miracle.

If you need a miracle in your life, He's the go-to person (person, not baby). Religions, traditions, and rituals may be bypassed.

Do this instead of strangling him (or her)

Uncontrolled emotions are relationship-killers. It may sound strange to you that the same energy that brings two people together can also break them apart. But that's exactly how it is.

When you love a person, what he or she does, thinks, or says, affects you a lot more than what other people do, say, or think. Why? Because you are emotionally attached. So when your boss says to you, "This report is crap", you may get upset but will quickly get over it. However, if your husband or wife says the same thing, you may take it with you to your grave — and bring it up in every other argument before you finally pack up.

Here's the advice: 

If your negative emotions are running high — anger, hurt, hate, shame, etc. — then don't pour them all out on your partner. It's not fair on him or her. What should you do about your feelings instead? Whatever helps you soothe and calm yourself down. Cry, if you must. Pray. Scream into a brown bag. Write three pages in your diary in a fury. Go for a walk. Whatever works for you, do it. 

Then, when your emotions are down and your brain is back in control, go and deal with the problem rationally. Emotions are the wrong tool to solve problems.

The flip side: If you find yourself at the foot of your partner's emotional mountain and an avalanche is coming at you, you'll probably have no time to run for cover — nor should you. That would only anger your partner even more. If that happens, here's what you should do:

Incarnate an exemplary customer service representative.

People who work in customer service know this: You can't reason with an angry customer. The best you can do when an irate, annoyed customer unleashes her frustrations on you is to empathize, apologize, understand, and fix her problem. The worst you can do is get upset yourself and respond in kind.

So when your partner behaves like that angry customer, understand there's probably a very good reason for his or her anger. Listen for what it is. Empathize. Apologize if you're responsible for all or part of the problem. And while keeping a cool head, decide what you can and will do to fix the problem. And if a customer rep can do it for the money, you can do it for the love. You just need to decide inside yourself that this will be your new way of dealing with your partner's emotions — and also your own.

Emotions are the wrong tool to solve problems. Your intelligence is the right one.

The fork in the road

Every day you're faced with tens, even hundreds of choices about everything in your life. From the time you get out of bed, to what you eat for breakfast, to the phone calls you make and take, to the ideas you accept or reject, and everything else after and in between.

Your choices make the life you have. Of course people around you are trying to influence those choices. Family, friends, colleagues, boss, even strangers affect our decisions. And then there are the unseen forces that influence us: advertising, government, culture, social expectations, religion, the economy, and a lot more.

But in spite of all these pressures — I know, it's a lot — you still hold the power to go one way or the other, to do A or B, or perhaps none of the above.

In the end, it's you at the helm of your ship. It's you who can steer your life. And you do it through your choices.

Whatever they are, you'll have to live with them.

Choose well.

Ideas

Ideas are like seeds – not all of them will sprout, but one of them will eventually become a tree.

What are you doing with yours?

A clear conscience: priceless

Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. Psalm 26.2

A clear conscience. David wrote this psalm as the cry of a righteous man. He couldn't accept the idea of living in obedience to God and yet suffer like those who disobey Him.

A clear conscience gives your faith absolute confidence. It empowers you to demand the rights of your faith. If you have a guilty conscience, your faith is automatically weak. That's why an intelligent faith seeks to obtain and protect a clear conscience.

But how does one get a clear conscience?

It's not by being perfect, as nobody can. It's not by never sinning either. That's impossible.

It's by striving to do what is right by God, and even when failing, trusting in His righteousness, not yours.

Stay away from evil. But don't trust yourself too much to do it. You have to keep your faith in God active, so that by your faith, you can be made perfect in God's eyes.

Two common mistakes people make

Many do not get results from their faith because of one of these two common mistakes:

1. He thinks he is not worthy because he's so bad a sinner. He believes he does not deserve God's blessings because he's done so much wrong, he thinks his faith is too small, and so on. He puts himself DOWN before God.

2. He thinks he is so holy, so righteous, full of merit for being hardworking, honest, dedicated, kind, etc — that he thinks he will be blessed because he's earned it. He thinks a lot of himself before God.

The problem is that God does not operate on either of these terms. He's been known to bless prostitutes, murderers, and thieves. He's also seemed indifferent to the suffering of many righteous, pious people.

Why?

The only thing that matters to God on the issue of blessing someone is if that person has acted his faith. If he believed and acted upon that belief, he gets blessed. If he did not believe, all he can do is suck his thumb.



Read this message in Portuguese

God's problem

Your problem — that ugly, wicked, painful, stressful, huge problem you have — is not God's problem. No, He's not fazed by it. Getting rid of your enemies? Easy. Curing cancer? No problem. Bringing your husband or wife back? Piece of cake. Enough money to pay off all your debts? Try something harder.

Everything that poses a problem to you is not a challenge to God.

But God does have a problem. A big one. Here it is:

Getting you to do what He says.

If you would only do what God says, then you would help Him to help you.

It's so ironic: God has a problem that He cannot solve.

But if you solve it for Him, then He will help you solve your own.

There's only one bullseye

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7.14

A darts player wants to hit the bullseye. An investor wants to get a big return for his money. A writer wants to craft his text with the words that precisely describe his message.

Aim. Success. Accuracy. All good things — but incredibly difficult to achieve.

Getting something right is always hard. Getting it wrong is very easy.

In almost everything we do, there are thousands of ways to get things wrong, but only a few (sometimes only one) to get them right. (There's only one bullseye on the dartboard.)

If you want life — happy, fulfilling, full life — you must enter through the narrow gate. Millions of ways to miss it and to mess it up. One way to find it.

The narrow gate is Jesus.

But you already knew that.

Sensing evil

If you knew there was a poisonous snake somewhere in your bedroom, would you sleep peacefully in your bed?

It amazes me how many people just can't sense evil when it comes near them. I refer more specifically to evil that comes from inside of people — envy, selfish interests, deceit, lies, gossip, discord, doubt, hypocrisy, enmity, and all of their brothers, sisters, and cousins.

Okay — I don't claim to have superpowers that let me see through people all the time. But some of us are just too naïve, too trusting, too clueless. Jesus warned His disciples:

Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10.16

I think it's very important to develop some sensitivity to evil. Our survival depends on it.

And back to my question at the beginning, the answer of course is no, you wouldn't. But you would lie in bed, sleep, probably get bitten and die if you didn't know there was a snake in your bedroom. Ignorance would not shield you against it.

Never assume you are in a snake-free environment. Watch out for snakes dressed as swans.

Give Me Your Eyes

Yes, it's a modern tune. But surprisingly, its message translates what many Christians are missing today. So it's merited a place here. Well done, Brandon.

Enjoy. (And think about it.)




Give Me Your Eyes

by Brandon Heath

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight

Touched down on the cold black tar
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos

All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath

There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work he's buying time

All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
That I keep missing
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah yeah

How to get focus

 I'll cut to the chase:

The best way I know to get focus is to learn to say "no" more often, to more things, to more people, and to yourself.

Define what you need to focus on. Say no to everything else.

That's it.

Four ways people fall

You expect bad people to trip up and fall by their own mistakes. When it happens, you're not surprised. Maybe you even get a sense that justice has been done. But I've seen a lot of good people fall too. Good husbands gone bad, good marriages ending in divorce, good jobs lost, good faith turned into cynic skepticism, and a lot more.

In the vast majority of these cases – and I've seen thousands of them over the past 25 years – the reason people fall usually comes under one of these categories:

1. Pride
2. Money
3. Men/Women 
4. Emotions

That's about it. If a good person will fall, he or she will be a victim of one or more of these four horsemen of the personal apocalypse.

If I were you, I'd watch out for them.

The shortest way out

One of the hardest things in this world is to admit you are wrong. And nothing is more helpful in resolving a situation than its frank admission.

Benjamin Disraeli (British Prime Minister and Novelist. 1804-1881)

Sometimes the shortest way out of a difficult situation is sincerity. But unfortunately, most people choose the long way.

Sincerity requires courage, self-belief, and belief in God's justice and kindness.

That's why it's so rare.

The person who makes you uneasy

A sure way to feel small or envious is to be in the presence of someone who thinks bigger than you. "Look at her, who does she think she is?"

You don’t have to feel that way. You can choose between being angry with the person, finding her presumptuous, looking for something in her to criticize — or realize that you are in the presence of someone who has something good to share, who has qualities worth modeling yourself after, and learn from her. Who knows? - your own vision and thoughts might get bigger.

Have you noticed how you behave in the presence of someone like that?

Consider the alternative: Stay in the company of people with a vision and thoughts that are smaller or equal to yours. In other words, no incentive to improve.

Evenings: ‘You’ time

(This is the 4th of a 4-part series on productivity, which starts here, in case you missed it.)

==============================================

Life is not only about work. We work to live, not the other way around. So you must set time aside for things in your life other than work that also need your attention. If you don’t, soon you won’t be able to concentrate or do well at work because of fires you’ll have to put out in non-work areas.

An unhappy wife doesn’t make a high-performing husband at work. An unhealthy body won’t keep going for too long before it goes sick on you. A stagnant, tired brain won’t produce many promotion-winning ideas. A neglected spiritual life won’t strengthen your values and self-confidence — two major requirements for your success at work.

That’s why you should set evenings aside for ‘you’ time — planned time to invest in your relationships, education, health, faith, leisure activities, and anything that makes you a better person.

Rather than making a list of what you could do at this time, try following a weekly schedule. For example, you may have one or two evenings a week set aside for church; one movie night with your partner or family; one evening to take a course or read up on some subject of your interest; one evening to review your goals and plans for the future; one evening for a hobby or sports; one evening to do absolutely nothing (keep it as free time); and so on.

You don’t have to fill up your schedule, but it helps if you define what you’ll do on which evenings — even if your decision is to do nothing. Planning how you’ll spend evenings will help you to keep a balanced and varied number of activities that will contribute to your self-improvement goals.

Then of course, there are those things you’ll probably want to do almost daily at evening time, such as sitting together for dinner, working out, or walking the dog. Make sure you know what they are and fit them in.

The idea is: get healthier, more relaxed, and smarter. If you dedicate your evenings to these non-work areas of your life, you will get more work done during the day than most people you know.

And one more thing: Don’t neglect your sleep. Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest thieves of productivity. Respect your in-bed and out-of-bed times.

What now?

Now you have a framework for a more productive life that is simple and easy enough to remember and abide by. Don’t dismiss it for its simplicity or just because your days and duties may not be as clear-cut as 1-2-3. Regardless of what your days are like, they’ll always have mornings, afternoons, and evenings — and your energy levels will be directly related to them. So you might as well use those facts to your advantage.

Granted, some days may be chaotic and force you to throw out your lists and schedules. But they are going to be the exception, and that’s fine. The important thing for you to know, at any given time, is whether what you’re doing is an “absolutely must”, a “would-be-nice-to-do”, or a “you-time” activity. And make sure that you keep these three as balanced as possible.

Finally, try this out for a while. Seven days are good, 21 days are better, and 40 days are best. See how it works for you.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and experiences while you do it. Please write them in the comments below.

Afternoons: What would be nice to do

Continuing with our 7-day Dare to get more done, let’s look at what your afternoons could be like. As we said yesterday, mornings lend themselves to higher productivity, and you should take advantage of that. By the time you’ve had lunch and it’s around 1-2pm in the afternoon, your energy begins to wane. That’s the time for tasks that are neither so urgent nor too demanding on your stamina.

To help you identify those tasks, the conversation you need to have with yourself is: Now that I’ve done what I had to do today, what else has my attention right now that I could work and move forward on?

Again, the first thing to do is to start with a list. Jot down what’s on your mind. Check your calendar for any important dates approaching. Do you have any old to-do lists or items on your diary lying around waiting to be done? Add them to the list. This will likely turn out to be quite a long list, but don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you’ll do everything on it this afternoon. It just means you’re giving yourself an inventory of tasks you can choose from and decide which ones you’ll do this afternoon. It’s important that you try to empty your head by writing down everything that’s nagging at you. The idea is that you won’t have to be thinking later about stuff you still have to do, because everything will already be on the list — at least for that day. Of course that list will remain “live” as you cross items out that get done and add new ones the next day.

Writing this list should take you less than 5 minutes. Now, you must choose what to do from the list.

You’ve probably realized by now that today’s “would-be-nice-to-dos” are tomorrow’s “absolutely musts”. These are obvious picks, so scan the list for those. After that, it’s pretty much up to you what else you want to do that afternoon. Choose as many as you can finish before evening today.

The good thing is that you can keep that list and refer back to it again tomorrow morning, so you don’t have to always be creating new lists. As I said before, it’s good to have a “live” and up-to-date inventory of tasks you can refer to every day, so invest in that. I use my computer to keep that list, which syncs with my phone, so it’s always accessible. That way, it’s easy to add new items as I think of them and to check others as “done” when they are completed. See what method of keeping a list works best for you.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about evenings (fun time!).

P.S. Perhaps the two souls who are taking this dare would like to leave their comments here… Let me know how it’s been going for you and feel free to share your ideas too. Are you getting more done? Do you feel better at the end of the day? More organized?

Mornings: What must get done

If you joined the challenge we issued yesterday, today's post is about defining what you'll do in the morning. Remember, in our challenge, morning is when we do what absolutely must get done that day.

There are several reasons why mornings can be very productive. Our energy levels are high, our minds have been swept clean by a (hopefully) good night's sleep, and of course, mornings are a natural beginning. With the exception of certain types of jobs that require you to be most productive at other times of the day (like busy nights at a restaurant), mornings lend themselves to higher productivity.

It's not by chance that you find this sentence in the Bible quite often: "Early in the morning..." — followed by some major action.

So, your first order of the day is to think about and decide what absolutely must get done that day — and write it down. Emphasis on “absolutely must”. That means everything that cannot be carried over to the next day without some major consequences. Examples:

• If you don’t buy groceries today, you’ll have no dinner tonight 
• If you don’t move on that project today, you’ll miss its deadline next Friday 
• If you don’t pay that bill today, you’ll pay a late fee
• If you don’t read your study books today, you’ll find yourself cramming for the exam the night before
• If you don't finish that report today, your boss will eat you for dinner tonight. Not a nice sight...

Resist adding things that don’t really have to get done that day. Remember, there’s always the afternoon to do those. You probably don't have to check your Facebook or even the news first thing in the morning (they'll most likely be the same by lunch time). So resist those time-wasters.

Your morning list will be short, probably with only two to three items on it. Maybe you won’t even have a list — there may be just one thing you must get done that day. That’s fine. Still write it down (it will help you focus). And stick to it.

Once you're clear on the "absolutely musts", forget everything else, focus on them, and get going.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about afternoons. (Jump to next message here)

7-Day Dare: Getting more done

If you're a very busy person with a lot on your plate; if you often feel bad at the end of each day for not doing the things you needed to do — then, here's an idea, and a dare:

What if every day you were to:

1. In the morning, do the things you must get done that day;
2. In the afternoon, do the things that would be nice to get done that day, but not absolutely necessary;
3. In the evening, do something at your leisure — related to family, education, spiritual life, or simply relax.

Could that work for you?

You'll only know if you try it. I bet you'll get more done than you currently do. How about starting it tomorrow, for at least seven days?

Are you in?

I'd love to read your comments here about the results, if it worked for you or not, and why.


Read the next message in this series here...

A woman's balancing act (Live in London)

My princess gave a less-than-4-minute word of wisdom to women at a financial conference in London last week — and took a jab at us men for not being great multitaskers...

Doctor Socrates’ death

I was 10 years old, and like every good Brazilian, I loved soccer. Whenever I had a chance—at school, in my backyard, on the street — there I was kicking a football with my brother and friends. One of the slickest moves in soccer was, and still is, the back-heel pass—a sign of a player’s skill, boldness, and game vision. Whenever one of us did it, teammates and observers alike would shout, “Wow!”, “Olé!” or simply “Socrates!”

The back-heel pass was the signature of “Doctor” Socrates, Brazil’s 1982 World Cup captain. Who can forget the elimination match against Italy? Who doesn’t remember the joy of certain victory drowned by the tears of unexpected defeat? Yes, I cried too. One hundred and twenty million Brazilians did.

Socrates scored a brilliant goal in that game, but couldn’t win it. This past Sunday, exactly 29 years, 4 months, and 29 days later, at only 57 years old, the Doctor would lose the most important game of his life. His adversaries: alcohol and tobacco.

It’s easier to understand how a less educated man would slip into the trap of addiction. But Doctor Socrates? Not only was he an excellent player of respectable physical build, but also a medical doctor. If anyone knew of the effects of those substances on the human body, he did.

His premature death raises the question: Why a lot of talented, intelligent people, can’t control themselves? How come an athlete can discipline his body for certain things but not for others?

Answer: Because the only power that is stronger than human intelligence and capable of mastering the body, is the spirit. Your spirit, connected to the Spirit of God, gives you unequalled and unbeatable strength. The person who has forged this connection can never be destroyed by anyone, except himself.

If you:

• Are strong, but have been weak in the face of a particular situation 
• Are intelligent, but sometimes do very stupid things 
• Are strong-minded, but have struggled with many doubts 
• Are successful in business, but a failure in love 
• Have everything you need to be happy, but feel deeply depressed 
• Know that your addictions are killing you, but can’t abandon them 

…then, know that the solution to all of the above and more is to strengthen your spirit by bonding with the Spirit of the Creator.

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Proverbs 16.32

The spirit truly is willing, but the flesh is weak. Mark 14.38

Socrates, I am deeply saddened for you. But I am consoled by the fact that what led you to your death can encourage many people to change direction in life, once and for all. Thus, strangely enough, the lessons of such tragedy could result in reformed men and happier families. For sure, a back-heel goal.

Working doesn't make you rich (Live in London)

Last Monday's was a powerful talk to a crowd of about 750 people at the Rainbow Theatre in London. I hope it will inspire and give you the tools to unleash the wealth that is inside you. 

It's not working that makes people rich. Poor people are usually very hard-working. But they only stay poor until the day they discover that thinking is free.

Do yourself a favor and watch this talk, uninterruptedly. It's 26 minutes, but worth it.

P.S. And for those who think this is "prosperity Gospel", please just watch it again. And don't write me or leave a comment. This blog's moderator will probably delete it.

Falling into the victim mindset

Some people are known for the problems they have or misfortunes that have happened to them. I guess the curveballs life throws at us are inevitable. There are things we can't control, and trying to find a reason or someone to blame for our miseries is just a waste of time.

A better approach is to decide not to be a victim. 

Unfortunately, most people who suffer a major blow in life default to the why-me/poor-me attitude. They feel entitled to pity and special treatment from everyone around them, because they have been victims of bad things. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't show compassion or be especially kind to people who suffer. What I'm saying is that if those people use it as a crutch (and it's so easy to), then these nice feelings will become a trap to them.

When you decide you're not going to be a victim, you take your life and destiny into your own hands. You determine to use every resource you can tap into in order to fight back instead of lying back.

God is one of these resources. He said: 

I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, and what I do is put new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again. Isaiah 57.15

In case you didn't notice, He was talking about you. He was promising to keep company with people who are broken and badly hit. But not being there to cry with them — rather, to lift them up and revive them again. That's a promise. 

And what you do when you have a promise from God is you call on Him to perform it. Understand that you are especially positioned to receive that promise. Don't waste that right.

Don't be a victim. Use all your resources to fight back. Don't forget God is your biggest resource — but you have to ask Him to help you, it's not automatic.

Problem is my last name

And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months' pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God. Luke 1.36,37

Everyone called her barren. 

What does everyone call you? Are you known by a limitation, a problem, a handicap, a tragedy that happened to you?

"Oh, that's Mary, the one with cancer."

"No, not that John. It's John the one whose wife left him."

"Anne, the one who's always moving from place to place."

Are you tired of having a problem for a last name?

Do you want to change your story, like Elizabeth did?

We shall continue this conversation tomorrow. Be here. 

Meanwhile, like Mary, when she heard the above from Gabriel, ponder these thoughts in your heart.

The moment of crisis

On January 13th 1982, an Air Florida jetliner bound from Washington, D. C. to Tampa crashed into the Potomac River just after takeoff. One woman, Priscilla Tirado, having survived the crash, struggled hopelessly for her life in the icy waters for about half an hour. Too weak and injured to grab the rope thrown down to her from the rescue helicopter, Tirado began to slowly give up and show signs of drowning. Hundreds of drivers, passersby, and rescue workers watched her from the riverbanks and bridge.

Suddenly a man in the crowd, moved by what he saw, stripped off his coat and boots and, in short sleeves, dove into the icy water and swam the 30 feet out to assist her. He succeeded in getting Tirado to the river shore, from where she was subsequently taken to hospital, saving her life.

The man was Lenny Skutnik, who risked his life to save a woman he had never seen and did not know. One moment he was “Mr. Anonymous,” just an ordinary guy. The next moment he was a hero.

What made him do it? Even he doesn’t know the answer. Nevertheless, the moment of crisis brought out the best and deepest convictions in him.

No one hopes for a crisis or tragedy to find out what one is made of. But they are the best revealers of a person’s soul.

If you are going through a really hard time in your life right now, a crisis that never seems to end, a pain that finds no relief — remember that inside you there’s some of Lenny’s stuff. Courage, impetus, the desire to fight for life.

Don’t just watch yourself suffer and fade away in commiseration. Fight. Sure, it would be great if someone came to your rescue. But as this story shows, not many people will risk too much to help you.

Sometimes you have to be your own hero.

Watch Tirado's rescue and Lenny's heroism (from 5:14 into this video):

And if you have 20 minutes, watch the documentary of the airplane crash:

Part 1: http://youtu.be/m2ww2rCbX94

Part 2: http://youtu.be/ASBb-oMT5EU (Lenny rescues Tirado from 5:14)