#inspiration, #spirituality

All or Some

If you are anything like me, you approach life with optimism, vigor and confidence. You believe anything is possible. But what about when we fall short or we meet frustration after frustration? What happens then?

Those are the dark times, the periods where we keep going even if we aren’t getting anywhere. Just as good times don’t last forever, neither does the darkness. Think back to the times in life where things looked bleak, pointless even. You got through those times and you will thrive again. Believe it.

Life is not “all or nothing.” Believe in yourself and remember, some is better than none…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Improving

The progression of life is challenging. We are faced with setbacks, frustrations and difficulties. During difficult periods, it’s important to remember that we have overcome every obstacle we have ever encountered. And we will again!

When you are trying to fulfill your true purpose you will want to quit. That’s natural. But don’t quit. Ever. The greater the challenge, the greater the individual becomes. You are a work in progress.

It’s hard to beat a person who refuses to quit…

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Reset

People are harder on themselves than they need to be sometimes. It’s a good thing to hold ourselves accountable, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Beating yourself up because of a mistake or disappointment is a contributing factor in poor self esteem.

We all make mistakes and we all fall short of our goals sometimes. It happens. Pick yourself up and move on. Have you blown the New Year’s resolutions you promised yourself you would accomplish? Start again! Life is a progression, not an all or none.

Give yourself a break. Challenge yourself but don’t get down on yourself if you fail to meet the challenge. Try once more.

Be kind to others, and remember to be kind to yourself…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Karma

Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This might be a scientific explanation for the Hindus or Buddhists believing in karma.

You do good, you receive an equal amount of good in return. The same goes for bad. This certainly makes sense at a topical level, but I don’t believe it holds true in the real world.

It has been my observation that when you are putting good into the world, you get more than you give. Doing good builds momentum. And it hits the area of your brain that produces dopamine, so it encourages you to do more good.

Doing good never goes out of style. So, keep bringing light into the world. Do not concern yourself with getting praise from others.

Everything we do is noticed by God. He doesn’t miss a single thing…

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#inspiration

Fire!

Did you know that you can yell “Fire” in a crowded theater and not be held liable? Free speech allows this, and I’m glad it does even if it is morally wrong.

Free speech is a treasure, and it has been under attack ever since the First Amendment was passed. Freedom of speech allows you to say something I might not like or agree with, but your right to say it is protected. Without free speech we have government rules about what we can say. Say something the political class doesn’t like and you will be jailed.

Freedom of speech can be lost in a generation. We must protect it at all costs…

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#inspiration

I’m Disappointed

Have you ever experienced disappointment? Of course you have. So have I, and I have disappointed other people.

Disappointment is part of life. The world we live in is imperfect. No matter how hard we try we can’t escape disappointment.

The most important person to not disappoint is yourself. Do your best, always. Pick yourself up when things go awry. Keep going during the good times and the bad.

Stay focused on your goals and dreams. Don’t quit when disappointments happen. You will succeed if you refuse to give up…

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#inspiration

I Don’t Need That Kind Of Help

In his book, “The Vision of the Anointed,” Thomas Sowell explains how Congress decides they see something that merits their attention. Millions of dollars are spent studying the “problem,” while countless hours are wasted on something that, many times, was already getting better.

In 1950, less than 3% of people 14 and older were illiterate. The government decided that was too high and decided to get involved. Today, the illiteracy rate is 21%!

In 1960, 20% of black children were born in single parent homes. Congress wrote welfare laws that affected black families disproportionately. The laws were written so that if the welfare applicant had two parents living in the same home, they wouldn’t qualify for help. Fast forward to today and we have 80% of black children being born without a father. Thank God that this is starting to go the other way. Fathers are important.

When Congress decides to involve themselves in problems “only they can solve,” I’m not sure I want their help. My money is on the people. They will solve their problems better than anyone, especially the government…

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#spirituality

A Day of Rest?

You are busy. I know you are. We cram so much into our lives that we feel overwhelmed by it all. My attitude is, I can sleep when I’m dead.

The Bible teaches us that on the seventh day, God rested. That’s funny to me because God doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t sleep. So, why is that in there?

The Sabbath is to be set aside for us to worship God and rest our minds and bodies. We need it. God knows that slowing down one day per week will prepare us for the next six.

Take one day off each week. Think about your Creator and all the good He has given you. The crazy busy world will still be there…

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Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a kind of thinking in which you question, analyze, interpret, evaluate and make a judgment about what you read or hear. Great strides in science and technology have happened as a result of critical thought.

Emotions can block critical thinking. When Arnold Schwarzenegger won the governorship of California, people were screaming they wanted an amendment so he could run for president. This was before he even took office! My thoughts at the time were, let’s see how he does as governor before you anoint him with oil.

We should question everything. Now I understand there’s a lot of data thrown our way every day. Select what’s important. Do your research and dig beneath what the media tells you. You can’t trust them to tell you the whole truth. Your innate curiosity will keep you going when others might quit.

Thinking critically is vital for decision making in our lives. It applies to our decisions about our health and our safety. Take the emotion out and simply think…

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