I’ve been reading many self help books lately as I research and work on Joy on the Journey, and have made a discovery. It seems that the power of positive thinking is a recurring theme these days. Actually, I think it’s been around for a while, but we’re seeing another surge in this type of self help since The Secret came out in 2007 (can't believe that was 10 years ago!). I’ll admit that it’s a powerful book. If you haven’t read it or watched the video, I highly suggest it. It can truly shift your paradigm and set you on a better mental course than you’ve ever known possible. There’s no doubt that a positive mindset is just better for you – it helps you to see the blessings around you, to embrace the relationships in your life, and to treasure what you’ve got. But there’s one thing that they miss: while they tell you that you can start where you are and grow from here, they don’t tell you how to do that. And this, perhaps, is the most critical step of all.
Think about it: before you take a journey, you need to know where you are, and why you’re there. These may seem like simple questions, but let’s pause a moment and ponder it deeper. There are two critical questions you need to answer before you can make progress toward your goals. First, do you know where you are in life? This is easy to simplify. You are where you are because of decisions (or mistakes) that you’ve made up to this point. Fair enough. But how do you expect to move forward wisely unless you fully understand why you are where you’re at? So it isn’t as simple as “I made a decision, and it led me here.” Sure, you made it, but how did you come to it? How were you led? By right things, or wrong? By following the Lord’s lead, or running from it? By your own will, or something greater within you? This is a critical question to answer so you understand what’s motivating you, what voices you’re listening to, and the purity of your motives. I’m not just talking about mistakes, either. You can learn from what you’ve done right, too. And if too much “dumb luck” has gone into things, well, you need to establish a better system then that or who knows where you’ll end out?
The second question to ponder is “why are you here?” The Lord allowed you to come to the place where you’re at for a reason. Do you know why? What have you learned in this place that has helped you to grow, shifted your paradigm, and strengthened your faith? Has that happened, or have you been simply existing? We’re always supposed to be growing, learning, and preparing for blessings to come, so if you’ve been marking time, then you don’t get it, and won’t get anywhere until you start working with what you’ve got. So, what do you have, and what are you doing with it? Are you doing the best that you can every day? If not, then why should you be trusted with more or different when you don’t get what you’ve got? If you really want to have a better life, then you need to make the most of the life that you have right now.
I’m all for the power of positive thinking. It’s critical to have a strong faith, a sunny outlook on life, and a healthy respect for yourself and others to achieve all you’re meant to achieve in life. I also agree that the past shouldn’t hold us back, but we also need to realize that it’s all connected, and we can’t truly move forward until we’ve learned from what was and fully utilize what is. It’s the foundation of who we are, and if we aren’t rooted in that foundation, then all the happy thoughts in the world won’t get us out of our rut. We need to rise above, and to do that, we need to know what we’re rising from. Our goal achieved mountain top experiences are rare, meaning that we spend most of our life on a journey from one goal to another. That means that finding joy in life is in learning to embrace and enjoy that journey fully, and to do that, we need to understand where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. I hope that Joy on the Journey can help people to discover where they’re at, so they can find a clear path to where they want to be in their faith life.
That’s all today. Have a wonderful week.
Bye!
Think about it: before you take a journey, you need to know where you are, and why you’re there. These may seem like simple questions, but let’s pause a moment and ponder it deeper. There are two critical questions you need to answer before you can make progress toward your goals. First, do you know where you are in life? This is easy to simplify. You are where you are because of decisions (or mistakes) that you’ve made up to this point. Fair enough. But how do you expect to move forward wisely unless you fully understand why you are where you’re at? So it isn’t as simple as “I made a decision, and it led me here.” Sure, you made it, but how did you come to it? How were you led? By right things, or wrong? By following the Lord’s lead, or running from it? By your own will, or something greater within you? This is a critical question to answer so you understand what’s motivating you, what voices you’re listening to, and the purity of your motives. I’m not just talking about mistakes, either. You can learn from what you’ve done right, too. And if too much “dumb luck” has gone into things, well, you need to establish a better system then that or who knows where you’ll end out?
The second question to ponder is “why are you here?” The Lord allowed you to come to the place where you’re at for a reason. Do you know why? What have you learned in this place that has helped you to grow, shifted your paradigm, and strengthened your faith? Has that happened, or have you been simply existing? We’re always supposed to be growing, learning, and preparing for blessings to come, so if you’ve been marking time, then you don’t get it, and won’t get anywhere until you start working with what you’ve got. So, what do you have, and what are you doing with it? Are you doing the best that you can every day? If not, then why should you be trusted with more or different when you don’t get what you’ve got? If you really want to have a better life, then you need to make the most of the life that you have right now.
I’m all for the power of positive thinking. It’s critical to have a strong faith, a sunny outlook on life, and a healthy respect for yourself and others to achieve all you’re meant to achieve in life. I also agree that the past shouldn’t hold us back, but we also need to realize that it’s all connected, and we can’t truly move forward until we’ve learned from what was and fully utilize what is. It’s the foundation of who we are, and if we aren’t rooted in that foundation, then all the happy thoughts in the world won’t get us out of our rut. We need to rise above, and to do that, we need to know what we’re rising from. Our goal achieved mountain top experiences are rare, meaning that we spend most of our life on a journey from one goal to another. That means that finding joy in life is in learning to embrace and enjoy that journey fully, and to do that, we need to understand where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. I hope that Joy on the Journey can help people to discover where they’re at, so they can find a clear path to where they want to be in their faith life.
That’s all today. Have a wonderful week.
Bye!
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