Everyday Thoughts for Your
Everyday Life.
Asides
All high achievers plan their work and work their plan, for they are keenly aware that “luck” is most often being prepared to take advantage of a situation.
- Unknown # 
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
- Buddha #
What's New?
The Optimist’s Creed
December 30th, 2008 by stephanieORIENTAL WISDOM FOR A WESTERN WORLD
December 29th, 2008 by stephanieThings aren’t life, and life isn’t about things.
December 28th, 2008 by stephanieTHE REALITY OF MORTALITY.
December 27th, 2008 by stephanieFor Everything There is Season.
December 26th, 2008 by stephanie
A Point to be Stressed.
January 6th, 2009 by stephanieAs I tried to revisit my day with my ever gracious listening friend, it was mutually decided we’d refer to our time together that night as a melt-down party of sorts. As we munched on tortilla chips and cheese sauce, I realized that I wasn’t upset in a bad way. But I was certainly experiencing something stressful when it came right down to it. Good things were happening, yet I was definitely feeling the pressure of it all.
Looking at the hives on my arms, I got to thinking, when you have the same symptoms with good stress that you do with bad stress-how does you properly “de-stress”? And, what exactly does one do with good stress? Do you get rid of it? Or, should you?
So, always in the need to know, I grabbed my laptop to do a search for “good stress”.
Apparently a yoga instructor in New York City, when interviewed by MSNBC.com responded in this way, “You need stress to a certain degree. You just try not to let it take control of you,” she says.
Uh. Ok. Please tell that to the red welts on my legs.
She went on to say that we need to turn a stressful situation into “fierceness or fun.” That I could get into, but I still wasn’t sure just how to execute.
“Stress is a burst of energy,” said psychiatrist Dr. Lynne Tan of Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “It’s our body telling us what we need to do.”
The research went on to say that good stress is telling us that we are in control. We are accomplishing things. For example, a deadline can be a stress that is good for us in that it drives us on to achieve.
But I wanted to know more about the good stress. Like when a man is just about to propose to the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, or when you get that great new job or promotion. That is all good. But it’s sure stressful at the time.
The same article from MSNBC.com dated 12/06 stated, “Increasingly, researchers are probing the upside of stress. Some believe short-term boosts of it can strengthen the immune system and protect against some diseases of aging like Alzheimer’s by keeping the brain cells working at peak capacity.” Hmmmmmmmm.
So, I guess the point is not to try to live without stress, but to embrace it, work with it, then turn it around and make it work for us.
Whether it’s motivation, brain cell activity or a burst of energy, next time you feel that “good stress” happening, step back for a moment, accept it, then do what you can to channel the energy and focus on the task at hand. And remind yourself, it just might be good for you. I simply can’t stress this enough.
S.
Is Greed Good?
January 3rd, 2009 by stephanieAs the CEO sat across from me, he leaned in, “Greed is good. What Enron did was wrong. But greed, in itself, is not bad.”
I had to chew on that a moment. And process it. I could understand what he was trying to say. I think. The want for things is not bad. The motivation that it brings to some folks, to get them going. To achieve. To attain. Is not bad. It’s not a sin to want or to aspire. However, breaking the law? Hurting people in the process to get what you want? Not good. Not negotiable.
With 2008 behind us, the bail outs, the political corruption, I thought this thought from author and speaker Chuck Swindoll was a great comment for the New Year.
CONTENTMENT
by Charles R. Swindoll
Philippians 4:11-12
Let’s take a brief look at greed. Practically speaking, greed is an inordinate desire for more, an excessive, unsatisfied hunger to possess. Like an untamed beast, greed grasps, claws, reaches, clutches, and clings—stubbornly refusing to surrender. The word enough is not in this beast’s vocabulary. Akin to envy and jealousy, greed is nevertheless distinct. Envy wants to have what someone else possesses. Jealousy wants to possess what it already has. But greed is different. Greed is forever discontented and therefore insatiably craving, longing, wanting, striving for more, more, more.
The Greeks had a curious word they used when referring to greed. The word means “a thirst for having more.” To illustrate, its probably fanciful yet fairly descriptive to think of a fellow who is thirsty taking a drink of salt water, which only makes him thirstier. His thirst causes him to drink even more, which ultimately results in making him terribly sick. And if he continues to drink he could die.
That’s the whole point of greed. You’ll want more and more of something that really isn’t good for you. And in the getting of it, you’ll suffer the painful consequences. That is why Jesus warns, in effect, “Beware. Be on your guard. This thing is like a cancer—an insatiable leech that will suck the life right out of you.” Enough will never be enough. Life does not—cannot—revolve around things if one hopes to achieve true excellence.
There’s nothing in the world wrong with making a nice living. Nor is there anything wrong with being eminently wealthy if you earn and handle it correctly. But there’s something drastically wrong when you keep it all to yourself! God gave it to you so you could, in turn, give it back to Him, to others—yes, in abundance. The only reason I can imagine for God’s allowing anyone to make more than one needs is to be able to give more. We certainly can’t take it with us, that’s for sure!
Adapted by permission. Dear Graduate: Letters of Wisdom from Charles R. Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll, © 2007, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law.
Back To Basics
January 1st, 2009 by stephanieThere’s a song that was quite popular in the Christian radio scene during the 90s. It was called The Basics of Life and was recorded by the group 4Him. Basically, the message went like this: We need to get back to the basics of life. They say that after the Great Depression the American public emerged appreciating the simple things in life while focusing on a return to the basics. After the year we’ve all had, I say that’s not a bad idea.
If you are mulling over any New Year’s resolutions this January, you’ll probably start to notice that regardless of your goal of choice, success and achievement will come down to your commitment and attention to the basics.
For those of us involved in organizations or projects, the best thing we can do is pull back, take a good look and make sure the basics are covered first before we widen the scope. Here are a few quotes I gathered of late. They show that no matter what the topic, the basics always apply.
“Our power play has been struggling scoring as of late and we just need to get back to the basics.”
“People think there is nothing that they can do, that obesity is inevitable. This is not rocket science: It’s all about how many calories you’re putting in yourself, and how many are getting out. We need to go back to the basics.”
“We need to go back to the basics, and give the arts community something on a smaller scale to get it going again.”
For those of you hoping to recharge your spiritual lives in 2009, I guess the this won’t surprise you. It’s time to get back into the Word. I so admire those folks that read through their Bible each year. That is one goal I need to accomplish. Perhaps this year. Besides the amazing blessings and wisdom I will glean, it will force me to revisit all of the basics of the faith I hold near and dear to my heart.
Whatever it is we find ourselves committing to this season, basically, you and I just need to get back to where it all began and dig deep into what it’s all about.
Happy New Year. And May All Your Dreams Come True.
Bascially,
Stephanie
