Category Archives: Commitment

Leading Others With Your Light . .

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in Choices, Commitment, Faith, Inspiration, Lessons, Life

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ThisLittleLight-50Leading others with your light is of the utmost importance. It’s not as important that the messages of faith be heard as it is to see the great joy in the heart of the messengers, those of us who believe! Our profound love, our faithful twinkle, all our souls & spirits alive with the light of God! We believers can do ourselves great disservice when we insist in adhering to the letter of the “law” as we know it rather than being lighthouses of guidance through our own example! It’s not nearly as important to be “right” as it is righteous. If we flounder, that is not such a big deal for we know our Lord forgives us, so we need to forgive ourselves, forgive others & let acceptance again replace our disdain. If we stumble in our walk, we need to just keep asking for guidance in our journey, as we know not what He that created us SeeGodInYou-25does, we are inherently walking in darkness & uncertainty. We need to let Him lead us like the sun leads the world, then we need to be bastions of that light for others who are lost or uncertain. That means walking in profound faith, with expectation & joyful contentment in His promises! Actions speak louder than words! We are the His examples while we walk this earth, for He has truly risen!
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Sowing Seeds With Faith . .

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Character, Choices, Commitment, Confidence, Faith, Strength

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Sow seeds of faithAs every gardener knows, myself included, the seeds you sow or plant today, is your hope & faith for tomorrow & beyond. It takes great faith being a parent, to enter into relationships, to sow seeds with faith that they will become something one day. Examine all the amazing ways you show your faith each day just by living your life! Maybe we humans are much more hope-full than we even realize & give ourselves credit. Living with faith, maintaining our hopeful resolve no matter what life brings, is truly what keeps us filled  with the endurance to love ourselves & one another, to keep sowing our seeds anew each day for what lies ahead!

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Hoist the Sails, Life Awaits!

25 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Choices, Commitment, Confidence, Conquering Fear, Strength, Trials

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action shot-200Many times in life, we push ourselves too hard, & then we pay some price in physical or emotional pain. But for some things we don’t push ourselves hard enough, in my opinion. We settle into our ruts, believing ourselves incapable, unworthy, ill-equipped or just not “hungry” enough to care! But then who is it have we harmed through our assessment?! We hurt the one we need the most to accomplish things in life, ourself! When we cast doubt, over-analyze  fear, worry, linger in malaise or expect that we are not able, we’re taking the wind out of our own sails! How do we know how far we can go unless & until we try?
If you talk yourself into mediocrity, having or being less, or just plain out of things in general, then that is what you shall have! You have to assume the captain’s role in your own life & decide that you’ll hoist the sails by heading out towards the wind or making your own by turning into the wind! You cannot remain in dock, or even stationary at sea for long, without needing some source of propulsion into the new, the different, the unknown!
You, as the captain, must venture out beyond the safe realm of what you already know, the steady & the certain, CaptJackespecially if that is not where you want to be or what you want! Only you can choose to take your vessel to uncharted places to find your life’s treasure! Those who have what you want, have only done one thing differently than you, they’ve dared to go find it! Now is your turn to dare . . take off the safety reins & let loose your fears, for out there somewhere is what you are either seeking or never even knew you could find! The best adventures in life are those which begin in anticipation, reveal their secrets of fantastic discovery as you go & fill you with the greatness of your accomplishments in the end!
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Diamonds in the Making . .

31 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Change, Character, Choices, Commitment, Conquering Fear, Life, Opportunity, Strength, Trials

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Diamonds-50To endure that which feels like hardship, that which knocks us either around or down for a time in life, is to not let the very hope go out of our live & thus leaving our sails down without hope of finding the wind. We possibly become more brow-beaten the older we get as more happens, so that many of us are actually somber, downcast, unrecognizable versions of who we once were. We start to wear our hard knocks like our clothes & thus, we become sad, tumultuous, angry, bitter, dour or imperiled versions of us!
I took note when reading some of the Bible, how meaningful the stories of those whom endured were to me. I realized that many people in life only learned how to shape & form their character, growing to love God, themselves & others more from what happened to them during hardships & trials. Many of course did not learn at all, going instead to places of discord, unrest & their own version of solitary confinement – choosing to make that part of their story in fact the “whole story” of their life. Some just became worse for the wear surely. But many examples were evident throughout the Bible, as well as in our everyday lives of people who thrive in spite of what has happened. They’ve lived to become shining examples of grace under pressure, appearing to be diamonds who were formed in the worst of times! And there always will be “bad times” at times for us all, no one is immune from that aspect of life! So that is my hope in life for myself. I want to take my sufferings, my pains, my hard knocks & all those things could do me in & make it all instead the cloth which polishes my soul & spirit to perfection like a rare & priceless diamond!
Enduring life is not meant to strip us of our desire to live, but rather to form us into wiser, more compassionate & loving people better prepared to live! Learn to be at peace & contentment with life, to not make each battle one which embitters your spirit & to recognize in the moments you will have to swim upstream with great effort, that even in those moments you are being strengthened for the journey ahead! The saying goes: no diamond can truly be appreciated as first appears, it must endure a process which forms it from onset to what it will become in the end! And so must we . . but it is our choice as to how we shall endure what we must! It is always our choice to look beyond the process towards the end result!_Sign01
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Make the Most of Each Day!

05 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in Choices, Commitment, Happiness, Life, Passion

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Make ItAmazing-50It’s not the day that makes you, but what you make of the day! If you haven’t yet noticed, some people take those 24 hours & make a grand production, busily creating, solving, attempting & doing as much as they’re able to make their dreams come to fruition. They are endeavoring to solve their own problems & those of others, to help create solutions, to channel their energies into being better human beings. Somehow they see the period of a day & direct their focus into making it count! It’s a habit, an intention, a plan with purpose! We can all do exactly that if we shift our focus from weighing ourselves down in fear, worry & remorse, or worse – idleness! We can all make our days truly memorable, truly significant & ones which we’ll count among our best if we set about each new morning to be & to do just that!
Having restful days are not bad, but having a slew of idle days which get you no further to your goals & dreams will become in hindsight a great regret! Carpe diem . . seize the day & let it fuel your passion for something you desire! Ignite in you the sense that time is finite & watch how your focus suddenly changes from wanting to worry, fret, fear, & idle away so many hours or lollygag in the restless pursuit of nothingness! Your lifetime is most definitely finite! What is it that turns your switch, ignites your inner fire & sets your passions to light?? Think of those things as you start to “plan” your day . . where in your day do those things fit? If you aren’t heading towards something which matters, you might not make this day count, & that my friends is a loss of a finite resource of infinite value!_Sign01
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Making Lemonade From Our Lemons . .

05 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in Character, Choices, Commitment, Conquering Fear, Strength, Trials

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Lemonade-50Making lemonade from our lemons doesn’t mean we’re settling for less, it means we are making the best of whatever comes our way & that is how we make the best of our lives! We can choose to exist & to react . . ways to surely suck the living out of your life! In existing, you relinquish your desire to hope for yet-fulfilled & yet-achieved dreams. You simply stop living in a state of faith & hope t…o sustain that faith, & so your life becomes based in fear, worry, regrets, sorrows, “what ifs” & “why nots”. But when you take back the helm of your central internal emotional command, realizing that although you don’t control everything, you do control your responses, you will start to feel empowered & alive once again!
Don’t slip into existence just because things haven’t always gone your way, reach higher by overcoming your own internal negative gobbledy gook & keep living with the desire to reach all your dreams. Never give up hope, & never let your dreams die! It’s alright to be a realist, but faith doesn’t dwell in reality, it is inherently in the unseen & the unknown, which we all know also includes love, air (hopefully), and some other intangible aspects of life which are very concrete nonetheless! To react emotionally in life is natural, but to stay a prisoner within your emotions because things haven’t always gone your way, or because you’ve received too many lemons & are just sick of making lemonade, will keep you from enjoying your life! You cannot be living in the state of reacting to circumstances without feeling out of control & perhaps a bit victimized.
Flip the way you look at life by seizing the emotional reins & choosing an alternative mood! Life is about making the best of what you have, what you get & what you are facing so that you can feel the best about your life! Isn’t it time you start feeling that empowerment again towards your precious gift of life?! Seize the day, take the control back & live with an awareness that you are going to make a great life for yourself no matter what may come or not come. Learn to savor lemonade . . it’s refreshing after all!_Sign01
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Put Meaning in Your Words . . Act on Them!

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Character, Commitment, Integrity

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The age-old adage states, “what you see is what you get”, which is mostly true, but even better is this, “Trust develops only in the time it takes to verify what you think you know of someone by witnessing their words & beliefs resonate through their actions!”  We do ourselves a great disservice when we speak falsely without intending to follow up through our actions, talking about who we are but …then failing to back it up. 
People should first live by their own words in regard to who they are, how they wish to be known by what they wish to impart of themselves to others they meet. Being less through your actions than stated in your words causes others to become confused about who you really are, for they are watching for you to live as you’ve professed. Put meaning in your words by acting in accordance to them! That is what most others expect from you & that is what your own character demands of you. Anything less is flaky, dishonorable or disreputable. And in turn, what you have then projected in lack of character & meaning to others will come to rest in you.
Self-integrity is the concept of living to our self-defined character, so that when we state who we are with clarity for ourselves, others may know us by our words, our actions & our beliefs. We cannot speak idly often, failing to follow through with our actions repeatedly, without damaging our character in the eyes of others, but also significantly impairing our own integrity in the process! We are truly who we say we are by what we then will do & how we then will be. Be real, be forthright, for that is what others are hoping to find in relationship with you.  When first meeting you, people are drawn to you for reasons you initially present to them through introductory words & sensations about who you are. They then expect to find the words were not invalid, but that your words were clear in defining who you are to them. Being truthful about who you are, what you want & what you expect from others first takes being truthful with your own self in that regard! It cannot be said how very important it is to live by your word with integrity & character, for it does matter greatly to others, but more importantly to yourself!_Sign01

Come Sail Away Captain . . Life Awaits You!

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Celebration, Commitment, Dreams, Life, Opportunity

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sailboat-50It’s just the start of a new year & you should try to make it count, making it worthwhile, making it the best one yet by putting your emotions in check, by choosing to live instead not by them, but by your own powerful & affirmative ability to sail & venture into life. You should be assured that you will weather storms yet to be projected even! You, after all, are the captain of your own ship, where will you sail this year? Will you remain docked in the same place, because you dare not venture out beyond your comfort zone? Will you sail out only to the break for that is the furthest you dare go for fear of what lies ahead? Or will you, master & commander of your own ship, sail beyond all the places you have dared  to go before to face uncharted waters even?!

 

I think those who understand the risks, accepting the fact that they will encounter inclement weather & thus take on any hardship faced when going through storms, are the ones who truly strengthen not only their own wills, but build their own confidence & thus live with a sense of more contentment & joy! Our emotions are like the provisions we can load into our hulls for when we need them, but sometimes we rely too much on them! Sometimes we carry too many emotions too far & we cease moving forward, or even moving at all! We must learn to feel, to release & to again set our course.

This is your year! This is the year you can untie from the dock, sail out to the breaking point & hoist your sails to let the winds of life carry you further than you dare imagined! Will you choose to travel lightly & load only the provisions which enable you to do that? Or will you load yourself down to the point of not moving much if at all?! Choose to see your future days as those of a sleek sailing vessel moving effortlessly ahead through all life’s conditions . . believe you will be able to venture into life to explore more, to do more & to be more this year than ever before! You are the master & commander, the captain after all! Come . . it’s 2013, time to sail away!_Sign01

Conquering Our Challenges

30 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in Commitment, Conquering Fear, Trials

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Conquering Our Challenges

Some of our trials can honestly seem less like a hill & more like a major peak which we must scale. If you find yourself on one of those, midway up & wondering how to finish, I suggest you take a moment to hunker down & find your own steel inside. Renew your commitment to finishing what you started & make a decision that you are going to get over this one day. That there is no turning back. That going in reverse & failing by falling is not an option!! Often we simply do not realize how much tenacity, strength, courage & will we actually have within us until that very day we are midway up on that high peak, wearily wondering what we’re doing in such a predicament, looking upward at how much further we have to go!

 Our problems rarely go away, our dilemmas rarely ease up on us, we just learn how to conquer our challenges by facing them head-on, standing up again & finding our way to the place where the difficulty is then behind us – the top of the peak! Conquer your biggest fears, doubts, worries & concerns by believing first that you can!