Remedy for a Crushed Spirit

Recently I saw a 61 yr-old gentleman who lost his job
back in May of last year. Whenever a long period of
time has passed without a job I always suspect more life
issues to be lurking in the sidelines. (Yes, even in
this economy.) This was confirmed once again. He told me
his wife left him four months ago, his daughter (“the joy
of my life”) got married and moved away five months ago,
his investments are now worth less than half what they
were 3 years ago, He had worked for the same company for
36 years and then they let him go with a small severance
package, he’s unconnected at his church and feels “rejected
on all sides.” He made the last monthly payment three weeks
ago on his dream house that now must be sold to settle the
divorce and he’ll likely move into an apartment in town.

Where do we go from here? Proverbs 18:14 tells us “A man’s
spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who
can bear?” Or in the Living Bible it says “what hope is left?”

Each area of our lives requires that we are making deposits
of success. Even tiny withdrawals with no replacement
deposits will lead to bankruptcy in relationships, physically,
spiritually, and socially as well as in jobs and finances.
I know that in crisis the area of most pain gets most of our
attention. But often it is by making extra deposits in other
areas that a person can springboard back to success in even
the most critical ones.

My advice:

* Set aside time for vigorous physical exercise. Walk
3 miles each day – it will help wash away anger and stimulate
positive creativity. Smile while you walk -- and notice all
birds, trees and children.

* Seek out a Godly mentor. Much of the success of AA has
been in having another person to call in the lowest times.
Don’t isolate yourself. Maintain strong family and friend
relstionships.

* Reduce TV watching and instead read or listen to
inspirational material at least 2 hours daily.

* Volunteer for a worthy cause. Helping someone else in
need is a great way to ease the inward pain.

* Forgive everyone in your life. Make peace with your past.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

* Get a job – even if it’s not your dream job or a great
career move. Deliver pizzas or work in the garden department
at Home Depot – to get moving in a positive direction while
you continue to build for long term success. Yesterday’s
Nashville Tennessean lists 1814 jobs – and we know that listed
jobs represent only about 12% of what’s available at any given
time; thus there are over 15,000 positions waiting to be filled
in this average sized city.

* At the end of each day, complete these two sentences:
"Today I am thankful for......"
"Today my most significant accomplishment was......."

I recognize that some losses are irretrievable and an overload
of pain is debilitating. If you recognize multiple withdrawals in
your life, take drastic measures to stop the hemorrhaging – start
making deposits in the areas you can control – today!

- Dan Miller, 48 Days

Your Simple, Organized and Carefree Life

What would it be like if your life was simple, organized, and carefree?

1. Mind set: What does organized, simple, and carefree mean to you?
After deciding to simplify your lifestyle, the next step is choosing
the definition of the words. I looked up these terms in the dictionary
and all of them have many different definitions. For example simple
means: easy to understand, not elaborate or artificial, not ornate or
luxurious, unaffected, not complicated or complex, sincere, not
sophisticated, or naïve. Organized means: to form into a whole from
parts, to systemize, to give organic structure, to combine into an
organization, or to arrange into a desired pattern or structure. Carefree
means: without anxiety or fear, requiring little care, free of worries
and responsibilities. So what do these terms mean to you?

2. Identify your priorities, values, and goals both long term and short
term: Everyone feels differently about their life priorities. For many
of us, it might be our job, possibly career advancement, our family and
friends, good health, community involvement, among others. So it is very
important to determine what is most important to you. Keep in mind your
personal values and also your goals for the future. Always think ahead
and at the big picture.

3. Evaluate how you spend your time: Do your priorities match up with
your time? One way to check this out is to list your top 4 or 5 priorities
and then take a schedule and map your time out for one week. Is there any
overlap between the schedule and your list? If not it might be time to look
at re-evaluating your time and whether some of the things you are doing are
really valuable.

4. Begin simplifying an area of your life: Start small and with one area of
your life that will allow you more breathing room and space. It might be
your wardrobe which could be streamlined, too much media distractions, your
kitchen or meal planning are just simple areas that could be updated. Other
areas include paperwork, bill paying, editing closets and drawers, or
organizing a room or area within your house that particularly bothers you or
takes up too much of your time.

Seeing is Achieving

Picture Weight Loss Success With Visual Cues

Visual images hold amazing power. We can all still "see"
the Challenger disaster, the flag rising over Iwo Jima,
even our own high school yearbook pictures. The images
are still with us today. And so are the emotions that
go with them.

You can use this power to your advantage to help you lose
weight. If you surround yourself with visual cues, you
have a great chance of meeting that goal. A picture of
what you want (or don't want) to look like; a vacation
postcard that you're using as a reward; a picture of your
kids who you want to stick around for - these images can
stick around and pull at you even when they're not in sight.

Seeing is believing. Seeing is also achieving...

New Year Reflections

Looking back on the months gone by,
As a new year starts and an old one ends,
We contemplate what brought us joy,
And we think of our loved ones and our friends.

Recalling all the happy times,
Remembering how they enriched our lives
We reflect upon who really counts,
As the fresh and bright new year arrives.

And when I/we ponder those who do,
I/we immediately think of you.

Thanks for being one of the reasons I'll/We'll
have a Happy New Year!