you only live once – Page 5

Bait and Switch.

You only have time for people who deserve you and see your value.

Seeing the above somewhere made the proverb, all that glitters is not gold, even clearer. Distractions can be found everywhere and is both internal and external. We may think being lazy benefits us in the short term but it could be the difference between getting to that place you need to be or staying right where you are.

Bait and switch usually refers to a tactic that sees a projected desirable outcome as in reality, a scam.

So, in Life we may see the easy way out or the brightest light as the think to take us from point A to B. However, when we get closer the easy way out could lead to many dead ends and the bright light, just a spark quick to burn out.

So we do not read the fine print and don’t sweat the small stuff until they get to large that they threaten to overrun us.

It is important to know all you can before you make that move but also to see things for what they truly are and not what you would like them to be.

“Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be.”
Jack Welch

To Know Peace…

The way of peace they do not know;
there is no justice in their paths.
They have turned them into crooked roads;
no one who walks along them will know peace.
Isaiah 59:8

There are many paths you can take in life and many can lead to peace and others lead to war, whether it is internal or external.

There are times that we seek peace in the wrong places. Also, we seek it from people we surround ourselves with. Peace is not a commodity that can be traded and therefore, though free, it requires a great deal of spiritual connectedness to tap into much needed contentedness.

The absence of peace begins inside a person and overflows to impact those he or she becomes connected to, whether directly or indirectly. Sometimes it’s necessary to tune everyone out and walk in peace. I recently went walking through my home town of Spanish Town. It is a town notorious, in the past and maybe the present, for sudden violent outbreaks, usually based on gang related activities. But today I walked through narrow streets and lanes that I had never walked with anyone. And on my walk I felt a sense of being at peace in the world. There was no one with me on that walk and it felt good to have a clear solitude, that was only concerned with putting one foot in front of the other.

Peace is not something that can be bought nor traded, it is available for all to experience.

ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know
Romans 3:16-17

While I walked, I had to decide whether I would travel in the areas that seemed uncertain, less traveled and so I took a chance, veering on to an empty road. Walking on that road I saw no one, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the path I had chosen further extended the sense of peace and quiet I was enjoying. The area far from what I thought it would be, was aesthetically pleasing to the sight. The road was so clean, that it seemed not to match the rest of the town. The old fashioned Georgian styled homes that echoed a colonial past, had been brought back to live with vibrant colors and love. On passing through that seeming oasis, I realized that peace is available anywhere if that is what we seek. After I had left that little wonder, I came out feeling revitalized, as I too had been brought back to life on my solitary walk.

Therefore, when I reemerged into the hustle and bustle of the terminus to take the taxi home, I felt I would be alright.

That all that had troubled my mind before, had been beaten into submission and taken away.

He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Mark 5:34

Filling Life With What is Important.

To make life simpler, how about we keep only the important things. I know I have often found myself with lots of stuff that I really do not need and so treat poorly. Yes, at times we want to be accessible to everyone and we may feel that if we don’t get something now, someone else will snatch them up. Well, let them if you don’t really need them.

Image result for quote about filling your life with important things

Some Important Stuff…

There are persons who you need in your life. Keep those who think and speak positive, not just about you but about others as well. Persons who always see the bright side, so, their optimism can rub off or shame you out of your existential dread. Those who will not accept being negative in any way and not support it.

Do what makes you happy, being mindful of how it will impact others. Ensure that there are things you do because you want to do them and not because you feel you have to. If you wake up one day and want to relax, relax. If you feel like doing something that no one else wants to do, do it by yourself. Also, and one that can be hard to do, if you want to go somewhere but no one else wants to go with you, become a solo traveler.

Develop on what you have. Do you remember the parable of the talents? Make sure you develop on what you have been gifted by God. Use it to make the space you occupy that much better. By focusing on all the things you can do and do well, you won’t have time to compare yourself to others.

Know that everything you achieve, in spite of your mistakes are because you are good enough. It’s easy in the age of stiff competition to lose sight of your true worth and so, it is important to remind yourself of your worthiness. We may be disappointed from time to time with the things we do but they should not be our beating stick forever. Just do the best you can.

Do what makes you happy, no matter what anyone may say or think. Happiness is vital for instilling a sense of well-being and meaning in life. Being happy can affect your mental health, your physical and spiritual sense of well-being. Therefore we should protect it at all cost. Even if it means staying away from things and people that compromise it. Consider that discontent and unhappiness can lead to conflicts and even war! So find a way to make what gives you happiness a part of your daily life.

We don’t need everything, we just need the things that matter.

Don’t Stop Trying.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal
2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Existential Dread- The inherent believe that life is meaningless.

Life can get really complicated and with that the feeling that no matter in which direction you turn things just never seem to work out. Inevitably, death is the end result. This is the kind of negative thought that we need to leave in 2019. However, in the midst of all the optimism and hopefulness of the new year is someone who thinks this way.

I wish there was a manual to follow concerning what to do and not do in life. There is often no person who can save you from the bad choices you are likely to make. However, life is a gift. One that if we take it a piece at a time can offer us varied and unique experiences. Often times, it is the fear of the unknown that either cripples or confuses us into making the choices we most regret.

Sometimes you need to take a step back and get out of your head. By living in your head too much you can create a reality that does not exist. So, we need to face all the things we fear and rely on God to catch us before we fall or fall too far. We need to remind ourselves about why we have to keep going even if it makes no sense, even when we cannot see the prize and especially when we travel solo.

However, we need to also remember that no one can do everything alone, even though it may be hard at times, we need to reach out to the right people who can help us on our way; and in turn someday, we can return the favor to someone who will be in the same place we were when we felt like stopping.

Found this and thought it was so meaningful to this post
Song by Lauren Daigle – Rescue

About New Year’s Resolutions.

I have observed that at specific times of the year, people make the effort to change some aspect of their lives, but the new year is when we see this need to change explode. I like to think of it as promises on steroids. We all have made countless unrealistic wishes and promises about how the new year will spawn a new us. This usually lasts for the first couple of days and then most fall back into old habits.

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I think a big part of why they don’t work is because we leave reality out of our new year’s resolutions. We forget for a couple of days, what our situation is truly like and make commitments based on dreams we have nurtured since childhood and comparing ourselves with other, which is always a bad thing to do.

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Also, we now have many self-help articles that speak to setting goals and not resolutions. But I wonder what the difference really is.

Goal:An aim or desired result.

Resolution: The quality of being determined or resolute.

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The problem I believe is not in creating goals or having resolutions. The problem is being unrealistic in making or setting either and having a spirit of stick-to-it-iveness, to see them through. I have had many great ideas of things I want to accomplish, but have fallen short because of my own self-doubts. Setting goals over having resolutions does not mean that you will achieve them. For both, you have to have a plan of how they will be realistically achieved. Further, I also believe that anything we want to do must have a purpose. It cannot be that we want to be rich or lose weight but it’s because that seems to be the trend. Our purpose for wanting to achieve something has to be clear. It means then that once we have identified realistically what we want for ourselves this year, we need to consider why we want to do so and if in the long run there are real lasting benefits to doing so.

At the end of the day, I say take your pick and call it whatever you will. However, what I feel is more important than the title you give it, is the need to ensure that you are mindful about the things you would like to achieve this year.

Patience of Job

Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength.
Bruce Lee

Growing my grandmother needed a lot of this. From running away, to my habitual stealing, many lies and other mischief, I was a real thorn in her side. I guess she was hoping to whip me into a semblance of a somewhat decent human being, and she did.

But it can be hard to be patient and do the mundane things when you know that great things are in the making for you. It can be especially hard when it looks like things got worse a whole lot quicker. However, we need to remain unshakable in the face of great adversaries, especially when they stem from our own self-destructive tendencies.

Image result for quote about the patience of job in the bible

I love the story of Job because of how faithful he remained and how convinced he was that all things work together for good to them that love God. So, when things seem really desperate, I am comforted by the story of Job. Therefore, while it seems we are working for a good that is long in coming, we should remain patient and be positive.

For 2020, we have to be especially persistence in the face of blockages in our way and use it as a part of our daily mantra. When things do not work the way you want them to work out, be glad, because something better is in the making.

Also, we need to develop a new concept of what it means to be patient. One where we do not submit to everything thrown at us, until such time. But we need to be stubbornly optimistic no matter what anyone says, or, how bad things appear. When we trust in a higher source, one beyond human understanding, and are confident in knowledge that we too are worthy of all goods things floating around us, all things are possible.

Let us rise above all the forces of darkness that can be find every where. Let us stay above all negative thoughts, emotions and reactions that are waiting to bubble up to the surface.

We may need to take the most terrifying leap and finally leave everything that held us back in 2019 and let it stay there.

No Time To lose.

Well the celebrations are over and life to goes on.

It’s the second day of 2020 and many are busy trying to begin their New Year’s resolutions and so it’s the peak of mass self-discipline.

There is a feeling in the air of something new, of something wonderful being just around the corner…

It could be the imagination, imagining something that our minds have conjured. Or not. Who knows!

However, what is true is that there is no time to lose. If we want to get things done, we can’t wait until a certain time to get in the mood. We have to hit the ground running. So, if we want to start a new business or a new career, we probably should have started last year, but if we did not, we need to start like yesterday. Ah well there is today!

If you were always shooting done the ideas you had, commit to doing every single one, no matter how uncomfortable they make you or how extreme they may seem.

If you think you can’t make a decision, be more committed to doing so today. If you are not good at making long term commitments and would like to start, don’t wait until you are comfortable with the idea – you may never be.

There is never a good way to start anything you want to do, you just have to just do it.

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