Constructive Criticism

Learning how to constructively criticize myself saved my life! We ALL make mistakes, and learning how to properly cope with that fact is an absolutely essential part of finding true happiness, peace & freedom. When we make a mistake we have 3 choices: 1) We can feel bad about it… but wallowing in self-pity & remorse isn’t gonna fix it. 2) We can pretend it never happened & put a big fake smile on our face… but what does that accomplish? 3) We can spot, admit & correct it… and if you don’t know how, I would be happy to show you. The goal for today: know that true happiness is attainable… & that we should all be willing to do whatever it takes to find it! Have a great day everybody!

The Truth About Anger

I thought anger was happening to me & I had no choice in the matter, but I was wrong… anger is always a choice. I thought I enjoyed being angry, but I was wrong… no one enjoys anger. I thought I was supposed to be angry, but I was wrong… I was supposed to be understanding. I thought anger was a healthy emotion, but I was wrong… Love is the only truly healthy emotion. That being said… I still experience anger from time to time, but I’m no longer under the false belief that anger is a good thing. The goal for today: spot, admit & correct my anger… because “If we were to live, we had to be free of anger” ~Anon. Have a great day everybody!

Tolerance

Tolerance: to respect others beliefs, practices, etc… without sharing them. This quality seems to be running a bit thin in the world today. I used to think that tolerance was my ability to put up with you… but what it really means is that I should respect you, even if I disagree with you. Another important point is that the word respect doesn’t mean roll over. I’m also not going to allow you to push your beliefs on me, or harm me with them either. The goal for today: learn how to respect each other as fellow human beings, and at the same time… learn how to properly defend your own beliefs! Have a great day everybody!

Maintain

I help a lot of people put their lives back together; but “putting” your life back together & “keeping” your life back together… are two very different things. When I was given the tools to put my life back together, I immediately got to work & started rebuilding my life; things started looking up for me pretty quickly. But I soon found out that building a better life was kinda easy when compared to maintaining that better life. If I become complacent, that better life can vanish pretty quickly. Thomas Jefferson once said: “The price of liberty, is eternal vigilance”… & no truer words were ever spoken. The goal for today: know that if you want to stay free… you must continue to do the work! Have a great day everybody!

Take Your Own Advice

Sometimes I forget to take my own advice. I write every day in an attempt to inspire people to have faith in their abilities, to rise above their problems, and to help others do the same. I talk the talk… but do I walk the walk? It’s easy to talk about this stuff & it’s actually pretty easy to live it when everything is going my way… but how do I do in times of trouble. I’m currently faced with a dilemma… & it’s time to put my money where my mouth is. Action is what validates words & adds true power to any message. The goal for today: find your strength, put it into action… & always be helpful to others! Have a great day everybody!

The Small Stuff

I like the saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff”… but I don’t want to ignore it either. I don’t want to stress out over the little things in my everyday life, but if I continue to ignore those little things, they grow into big things & can cause serious trouble. For example: I had a bill that was only $15 a month… & because it was so small, it got bumped to the bottom of my list of priorities. Well before I knew it, I owed $200 & started receiving threatening letters. The goal for today: know that there is a very fine line between not sweating the small stuff & being subtly irresponsible… be sure to tread that fine line carefully! Have a great day everybody!

The Law

I believe there are 4 levels of law that apply to us… mans law, the laws of nature, cosmic law, and God’s Law. I find it interesting to explore how these laws apply to our daily lives. For example: I no longer take things that don’t belong to me because these laws bring consequences that I don’t want in my life. Mans law says I might go to jail; natural law brings things like worry, guilt, shame, loss of sleep & appetite; cosmic law brings karma; and God’s Law simply says it’s impossible to do something wrong & feel good about it. The goal for today: follow the law… because real happiness can only come from doing what we know in our heart is Right! Have a great day everybody!

Dig Deep!

I think at times we all question ourselves & our ability to successfully navigate through all of the trials & tribulations of life. Am I strong enough… smart enough… good enough? We are faced with some pretty tough stuff sometimes, yet here we are… we’re still standing! I feel like a part of my purpose here is to help people see & understand that they are stronger than they know… smarter than they think… & that every single one of us is good enough to rise above it all & succeed at life. The goal for today: you’re here for a reason & you were sent here with the tools to fulfill your intended purpose; dig deep & I promise you will find an unlimited source of strength, wisdom & heart! Have a great day everybody!

What Is The Reason?

“Everything happens for a reason” ~Unknown. This is a saying that everyone is familiar with; we love to say it, comfort others with it & use it to sound witty & intelligent… but we don’t really understand it. When my life came undone & I went searching for help, a lot of people had a lot of really cute little things to say, but cute little slogans & clichés weren’t solving any of my problems. They would make me feel better for about 10 seconds… & then the problem was back. Our problem solving skills have been reduced to sharing memes with one another. The goal for today: everything does happen for a reason… it’s time to go out, find those reasons & actually solve some of our problems! Have a great day everybody!

It’s Always Sunny In The Middle

I believe everything has 3 ranges… an unhealthy extreme left; an unhealthy extreme right; and a healthy middle ground, where sanity lives. For example: should I bury my anger (unhealthy extreme left)… embrace my anger (unhealthy extreme right)… or spot, admit & correct my anger (healthy middle ground)? Sometimes I say things like “anger is never a good thing”… that doesn’t mean that we should pretend it isn’t happening. It means that we shouldn’t stay angry… we should acknowledge it, tell ourselves the Truth about it, and work toward correcting our attitude toward the person or persons with whom we are angry. The goal for today: find your middle ground… it’s an amazing place to be! Have a great day everybody!