Be Your Own Rescue

There are a number of agencies and organizations in the world designed strictly to assist people who are less fortunate than others.  No matter how many systems you put in place to screen applicants there will always be someone who will take advantage of the programs.  I recall many years ago when a friend of mine said she was going to put her children names on the “Angel Tree,” a system designed to allow people with more to purchase and drop-off toys and clothes for those less fortunate.  I knew that my friend could afford to shop for her children’s Christmas presents, so I asked her why would she do that.  Her response was, so her kids would get more gifts.

I’m the kind of person who always feels guilty about accepting handouts even if I need them.  I remember when I was on public assistance with my first child, I kept telling my mother that I wanted to find a job because I hated having to depend on that tiny little check and food stamps.  Even today I have to be at my wits end before I go to anyone for assistance.  On the few occasions in my adult life when I lost a job or my financial situation took a turn, I was able to snap back to reality without the world knowing the magnitude of my situation.  I’ve been to food banks but never to clothes closets, and I still visit the food pantry at my church on occasion, because there is always more food than the congregation can take.  It does help when you can pick up a few veggies or occasional meat before you do your grocery list.

Unfortunately there are many in this world who always have their hands out and no matter what you do it never seems to be enough.  I firmly believe that after a certain age in life it is mandatory that you be your own rescue.  I don’t mean that you should never borrow money or a cup of  sugar, but how many times are you going to start over and keep asking people to hold you up while you get back on your feet?

Who’s Pushing Your Swing?

Who’s pushing your swing? The other day during my bible study this title came to mind. As I was reading my devotional materials I came across something that made me see myself as a little girl on a swing.  In this  video of the mind I saw me trying to swing higher and higher by pushing off with my feet.  What I realized was I could only go so high and the height lasted for a very short period of time.  It took quite a bit of energy using my feet to propel myself.  I thought about giving up because the height that I reached did not merit the amount of energy that it took to get there.  There are situations in life where we spend too much energy trying to create stuff, when all we have to do is ask someone else to push us.  When someone else pushes us it not only relieves the need to be in control while using our own energy, it also allows us to reach higher heights.  In doing that, the thrill of the ride is more enjoyable and it seems as though you remain at the height a lot longer.

Who’s pushing your swing? Are you reaching the heights that you deserve or are you still operating in your own power to push?  Have you considered having God push your swing?  The heights that He is willing to take you, and the destiny that He has for you is unimaginable. We will have pain along the way, but misery is optional.  We can decide how we will react to the pain that inevitably comes to us all.  Will you spend your time blaming the world as you shuffle your feet at the playground and watch everyone else swinging high?  Or will you tell pride to take a seat the next time life takes you outside of your comfort zone?  When you find yourself swinging without a partner, why not ask someone else to push your swing?

Don’t Let Time Master You

Sana Suvarna @sanaSuvarna 

Don’t let time master you!  People think that I am joking when I say, “I am so organized that I get on my own nerves.” Being organized is a blessing and a curse because when you meet someone who is NOT organized, it is extremely difficult to keep your mouth shut.  I’ve had so many occasions where I just want to tell somebody, “It really doesn’t have to be that hard. You make it that way because you fail to plan and organize your time, day, week, or whatever.”  Remember, “no” is not a bad word.  You can use it and mean it when you say it.  I use it a lot and never waste time defending my “no.”

Give me five minutes and I can run down my daily schedule and throw in most of what’s happening the rest of the week. That includes what time I have my coffee, what time I do my meditation, bible study and breakfast.  I know the night and time of my TV shows; I don’t do much daytime TV.  Also, as a business woman I have a schedule of activities devoted to my business.  There are days for creating content, marketing, advertising, business meetings and live videos.  With everything in life you get out what you put in.  Do the work, and when you have done all you can, then let it go and watch the results.  It is better to let things happen than it is to try and make things happen.

You See my Light Not my Light Bill

When I think about where I started from as a sixteen year old wife and mother, and becoming a single parent at age seventeen, there is no way that I could have visualized the life that I’m living today. In my prayer and meditation room there is a picture of my two daughters and my two grandchildren, which reminds me of the amazing job that I did as a single mom to both my children.  I may not have been able to give them the latest fashions or the favorite gadgets that other kids had, but I did give them love and I taught them tenacity, and how to survive in a world that judges you by your current circumstances.  I thank God that my daughters have truly grown up to be beautiful women, who are doing an amazing job with their own child.  I must say that I have no regrets.

There are times in life when we look at people who have made it, or made it to the top as some would say, and we tend to see their “halo” and not the struggle that it took to get there. We place people on a pedestal based on their accomplishments or their notoriety.  Nobody is going to tell you the whole story of how they got to the top.  There will always be a secret or two that remains untold no matter how close a friend you may be.  Even husband and wives have secrets because no one needs to know everything that you have gone through.  As you watch me do what I do you are only seeing my light not my light bill.  Don’t allow anyone to dictate what is possible in your life.  Only you know what it takes to light up your world.

How Full is Your Basket

Ashes Sitoula @awesome

How full is your basket? Recently I was having one of my low moments and I realized that all the things I was concerned about does not identify who I am.  Therefore, I decided to put my thoughts in a mental basket and allow myself to see that what’s in the basket does not define who I am, but it’s a part of who I am.  We need to stop making hasty decisions based on one feeling, one incident, or one wrong turn.  A lot of what we are experiencing is caused by our anxiety, our failures, our hopes and dreams, or our past mistakes.  It’s okay to allow those feelings to go through your body as long as you don’t stay in that place.

With the excitement and the pressure that the New Year brings most of us feel that this is a great time to start new projects.  But not necessarily!  Don’t get caught up in the New Year, New You phenomenon. For most people this should be a time of reflection on what worked, what did not work, and the changes we need to make moving forward.  When you look at your basket you need to be able to see it as something outside of you and not see it as you.  When I gathered my thoughts and concerns and put them in my basket, I must say that my basket was full.  However the great thing about that was, I was able to separate the basket from me.  I could look at it when I needed to or felt like looking at it.  I could also leave it sitting there altogether.  I could add items as they came to mind, and that in itself removed the thought or concern from the immediate forefront of my mind.  It’s almost like writing down what needs to get done.  Once you release it on paper you are no longer bound by your thoughts.  So, is your basket full?  If it is then that’s a good thing. It simply means that you have transferred your thoughts to a place outside yourself where you can deal with them at your leisure.

Know Your “Right Now” Vehicle

Tom Arrowsmith @tom_a

Know your right now vehicle!  A vehicle is something that takes you from one place to another. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a motor vehicle, although that’s our first thought.  What about your business or career moves?  What resources bring you the best results?  What are your weaknesses and your strengths?  Why not work hard on your strengths and outsource your weaknesses?  Are you trying to get to the top on your first vehicle?  We need to know what our “right now” vehicle is, and master the gift where we are before upgrading to a new vehicle.  As we close out one year and look to the next, it can be easy to get caught up in what everyone else is accomplishing. Maybe they have been riding the same vehicle for awhile and you just didn’t see them.  Remember we all have a back story to our success.  Be careful about wishing for someone else’s life, because you don’t know what it took for them to get there.  Do you really want to carry their cross?

Change the Strategy Not the Goal

Phone pics 136

How many times have you set a goal and found yourself working so diligently towards it and all of a sudden BAM! You hit a roadblock and you turn the corner to find that there is yet another obstacle blocking your view.  So what do you do?  Do you turn around and go back or do you change courses?  You still want to get to your destination, however you cannot go the way that you planned.  I would suggest that you change the strategy, not the goal.

Many of us get caught up in doing things one way. I know because I was that person.  If things didn’t go the way I had it written down then it wasn’t going to happen.  Whew!  What a difference my life has become since I decided to leave room for the unexpected.  And believe it or not, I am having so much more fun with this new life.  It feels good to realize that you are not in control of everything that happens.  I still set goals.  I still plan.  I still write down my “I Will” list every night before I go to bed.  But guess what?  I am not governed by that list.  When things change I move on to something else, or I create something that is not even on the list.  I follow my spirit.  I have learned to go with the flow.  What a beautiful feeling!  Try it.