Are You Content?

28 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Fullness, Gratitude, Happiness

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Are you content? On this day, when we see people clamoring to add more to their stockpiles of possessions because they don’t yet have enough, can we answer that question for ourselves? Am I content in life? If this were all I were to have, or to be, or to make, or to accomplish, or to be given in terms of longevity . . if this were all, would I be able to say I am content as is?

Contentment is the secret to peace and happiness, for it affords to us the assurance that we are accepting of our own lives, our own accomplishments, our own journey’s events and steps taken. We can still aspire to make our yet-unaccomplished goals a reality; but our contentment is an appraisal of the here and now, based on the past unchanged and the future yet unknown.

If we’re not content, we often look for things outside of ourselves to bring us joy; but things or other people apart from us cannot manufacture peace of mind or be our source of joy or contentment within us. It is up to us to discern within, am I content; so that we ourselves might deem this life as acceptable! And if not, why? As Paul states in the Bible, in the Book of Philippians 4: 11-12 . . Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

No manner of Black Friday purchase or addendum of any person can change our sense of contentment with life for the long-term. All that we discern as meaningful for our lives and about our lives must be formed from within our grateful hearts and our peaceful minds, here and now!

The Recipes of Life . .

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Confidence, Faith, Lessons, Patience, Peace, Quitting

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Fortitude, Perseverance, tenacity

I am trying a new recipe this morning, and I was starting to get a bit concerned about whether or not it would work. It’s one of those with yeast, which requires a period of activation and rising to do its part. And I hope it will turn out well, but I see a parallel with life in this simple task of hoping in the yeast to do its part. Life for the most part is a series of actions, purposeful and not, which add up to some outcomes and consequences which either seem positive or negative by our appraisal. So life is just a sequence of things we hope for and changes we make when our hopes are dashed. No big deal!

Why then do we put so much emotional weight on everything we haven’t got a full grasp of control upon anyway?? Do we suppose that we’re better-fated, better-intentioned or just better than others – so that everything should go our way? Even if we’ve prayed and asked God for His favor in something, it doesn’t mean that He will agree that we’re making the right steps, moving in the right direction or are ready for whatever it is we’re looking to find, do or be! Relax; life is about starting some recipes, attempting new things, trying to make something from nothing by mixing intentions, aims and hopes all together. And if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Don’t get so discouraged because it wasn’t easy, perfect or natural for you. If you happen to get fortunate with whatever it is you are attempting, then great! But if it doesn’t work after a while and a few go-arounds, perhaps look for a new “recipe” or way to do what it is you wish to!

Don’t let the emotional weight of doing, being, making and hoping overwhelm the entire process. Life is all about the trial and error, the endeavoring and the accomplishing, learning and growing in ways you might not yet have even imagined. But don’t give up hope that you’ll either make this recipe or some other way ultimately work. Discouragement doesn’t taste as good as finding the right recipe!

Prisons of Our Own Making . .

17 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Confidence, Conquering Fear, Fear, Positivity, Strength

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Courage, Overcoming, Strength

There just comes a time when carrying a perceived burden, problem or uncertainty becomes too weighty for me, so that the resolution, solution, or just plowing forward into the uncertainty becomes a necessary relief. And so it is . . we have to release ourselves from the prisons of our own making!

We often choose to remain focused on things which we fear, by way of doubts, which we want to evade and for which we find procrastination an ease; but when the burden upon our minds and hearts becomes too much to bear one more day, we often release our own inner-kraken or monster of forceful energy, determined to change the circumstances! We have to; we’ve spent too much energy, time and focus on those things in the first place. Otherwise we would live in such emotional torment, such consternation, with such a sense of dread about what might be or may be or could happen at any minute.

Upon bottling up our emotions, our energy and our focus for so long on problems, eventually the problem itself provokes us to do something. It’s inevitable when the weight gets so heavy on our souls. Unless we’re hiding the effects of such things, by distracting ourselves to the point of not recognizing burdens, problems, and such; we will eventually erupt like a volcano, pushed to the tipping point for our own sake. So it is almost always better for us dealing with things before we reach the point where those things have pushed us to the point of dealing with them!

When we’re proactive, we often aren’t so dis-empowered, so fatigued or require such hasty thinking as when we’re retroactively reactive. But even if we wait until we cannot wait one more day, we must go forward with confidence; knowing that procrastination, ignoring or just wishing things away doesn’t usually work or resolve anything. There is no better time than the present to believe yourself a capable life-manager, who is able to cope with and to resolve all the situations life delivers to your door! No better time than the present to be proactive rather than just reactive! You may not fix things in a moment, a day or even have all the answers; but evading, avoidance and delaying the inevitable are going to wear upon you in the meantime. See your problems and your concerns as managerial duties of your life; the better you are at managing all of that, the better your life becomes!

Rough Seas . .

14 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Courage, Faith, Peace, Strength

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Faith, Perseverance, Strength

Life is pushing and pulling a lot of people . . rough seas ahead or already all around!
But rough seas are something in which we’ve all had to surrender, to live, to bide our time and to make our way before. They’re not new, perhaps just the reason for them is new now. It’s a new storm, a new condition, a new time of uncertainty and tenuousness. But we’ve gotten through them before, we must believe in our ability to ride these waves out too!

When life is pushing hard at us, our fears are rising, our troubles seem to be unending and our hopes are at risk of fading, what can we do? I suppose it’s easy to say this, because it’s not always easy to do this – but we can remain in faith, we can rest in God’s assurances and keep our peace regardless. But that’s impossible, you say!! “This is the storm of the century, these waves are too great . . I don’t deserve this . . this cannot be . . I’m already worn out”, and so on . . . etc., etc., etc. That’s not to diminish how heartbreaking, heart-wrenching or how frightening this storm is! It’s not to impugn our fears, worries and doubts in this event versus others or those of others. It’s not about our expectation of what should be, or about comparing what is happening now to what happened prior, or even about what might yet be. It’s not even the case that we can measure our fear, pain or trauma against anyone else’s!

We have to find a way to roll with the big waves as they come, to survive as best as we’re able; and to expect that on another random, new, seemingly sunny day, another of life’s storms will develop. And when that next storm comes, will we be fearless, peaceful, prepared and know exactly what to do?? Probably not. But with the arrival of every one of life’s storms, because of what we’ve already been through, what we’ve already overcome and what we’ve learned about ourselves, we can confidently build our strength, perseverance and survivor muscles for this storm too! Confident that we’ve ridden other storms out and survived those . . our faithfulness in God will bring us assurance that we will see better days ahead with calmer seas, so our peace is much easier to maintain whilst in those storms!

Expect life, like the sea, to change on any given day in any uncertain way. That is the nature of the beast! But give yourself some peace and give God the burden of faithfully guiding you through these rough seas ahead!

Discipline Brings Rewards . .

12 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Character, Choices, Commitment, Discipline, Lessons, Patience, Self-Control, Strength

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commitment, Discipline, Self-Control

When disciplining our own behavior brings us rewards immediately, our will is much easier to muster. But when discipline promises rewards which aren’t yet noticeable, haven’t yet paid-off with any “rewards” or given us much measurable success, we have to dig down deeper into our stores of will and perseverance. It’s then when we learn of what stuff we are made. It is then that we know how committed we are to whatever it is we’re trying to achieve, to accomplish or to be.

Our personal success might depend on others at times, it may rely in part on random occurrences which alter our course; but our successes are always a direct result and dependent upon how much will, determination, discipline and fortitude we choose to exert when things aren’t paying off or coming so easily! Our dig-down-to-it-ed-ness and our desire to be, do, have or make something come to fruition must be more worthwhile and prized than the weight of all the time passing, or how tiresome it becomes in process.

Climbing up a mountain can be a grueling and tiresome venture. But at the top awaits the reward! There is a 360 degree vista at the apex which is like no other on the way up. There is the joy and sense of accomplishment of having made the ascent and done the hard work! Easy living rarely brings such tremendous uplifting victories to our soul by way of joy and contentment, much less by bringing such a boost to our self-worth or confidence. It is usually in the hard, endurance-worthy, time-contributed, sweat-raising, questionable matters by which we earn our greatest payoffs!

There are gains in easy, no-sweat victories for sure. But not like the gains and rewards when discipline is a genuine investment! You can choose, do I sit out the hard stuff just because it requires more energy, time and will; or do I discipline myself for those matters which truly require it because they bring more to me in the end?!

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Monthly Archives: November 2014

Are You Content?

The Recipes of Life . .

Prisons of Our Own Making . .

Rough Seas . .

Discipline Brings Rewards . .